


The Heirs to the Demon

by ssjmrxi



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-10-25 10:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 61,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10762422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssjmrxi/pseuds/ssjmrxi
Summary: After almost 6 years, Oliver has returned to Starling City with his assassin wife Nyssa al Ghul. There have been rumours concerning Starling and Ra's al Ghul has sent his heirs to investigate and deal with those who are a danger to society. How will they respond to the imminent danger that threatens Starling and how will Oliver explain where he has been for nearly 6 years to his friends and family. They don't know all the answers to these questions yet, but one thing is for certain, they will do it together.





	1. Home

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do a league of assassins story for oliver that didnt solely make him the heir because I do think that is harsh on Nyssa that she gets replaced as heir. So in this story Ra's has identified Oliver and Nyssa to be his heirs simultaneously because they're at their best together and will lead the league of assassins together.

It had been almost six years since he last stepped foot in Starling City and as he stood on a rooftop overlooking the city, he could feel how much it had changed. Once upon a time, the citizens of Starling could feel safe as they went about lives.  Some of his fondest memories of this period were the times when he took his little sister around the city to places she wanted to go to. He would do anything for her because he loved her so much but now, no-one could be safe in this city.

A woman walked up next to him, her hood down allowing her black hair to flow down well below her shoulders. She had an eastern complexion and was wearing her red and black assassins outfit. She had her quiver strapped to her back which was full of arrows with her bow slung across her back. Her sword was sheathed by her hip and she had multiple knives and daggers hidden from view. The daughter of the Demon took the man’s hand in her own and spoke quietly ‘Beloved, the construction of our base of operations here is completed. Let’s go’.

However he didn’t respond and just continued to look at his city. ‘Oliver’ Nyssa said looking at him and this time he turned his head, staring directly at her eyes. Whilst in reality it was only a few seconds, to Nyssa it felt like an eternity until finally Oliver smiled at her, squeezing her hand slightly.  He had been in the League of Assassins for four years now and only Nyssa calls him Oliver which is what brought the smile to his face. ‘Let’s get started’ he said before dropping his head to place a sweet kiss on Nyssa’s lips which she happily reciprocated.

He had been thinking about his family and friends that he hadn’t seen in so long and a part of him felt like once this was all over maybe it could go back to how it once was. However, it was at that moment that Nyssa had taken his hand in hers and he realised that that part of his life was over. Now he is someone else, he is something else.

* * *

 

Oliver and Nyssa arrived at one of many League hideouts across Starling city. This one however had been transformed to serve as Oliver and Nyssa’s main base of operations. It had one large room that contained some equipment for all the league of assassin members. In the centre were multiple computers and off to one side were two glass cases that contained Oliver’s and Nyssa’s suits. Oliver’s suit, like Nyssa’s, was different to the standard league suits. Whilst his was all black and lined with Kevlar just like the standard league suits, Oliver’s was less baggy and had a hood that was exactly like the one that Shado had but in black instead of green. It had been a gift from Nyssa’s sister Talia when she had come to Nanda Parbat 2 years ago. Talia had given the green hood to a student of hers and decided to make a suit using the same hood but in black for her sisters beloved. There were multiple rooms that connected with the main room. The majority were used for training purposes because many were open rooms to spar in. Some had training dummies that could be used whilst others were used for archery practice. There was one door that was only to be used by Oliver and Nyssa themselves because it led to an elevator that led to an open space that contained a couple of rooms underground. This was where Oliver and Nyssa were staying for the time being because at the moment Oliver couldn’t be seen out in public as everyone believes him to be dead.

Inside the base there were multiple assassins, some training some waiting for the heirs to arrive so they could go back to the task that had been assigned to them but all of them stopped and bowed the second the couple walked in before returning to what they were previously engaged in or leaving the base. Nyssa walked up to a young woman who was situated by the computers, whilst Oliver sat down and began his research.

‘Aaliyah, what have you found?’ Nyssa asked. Some of the leagues members had been in Starling for almost a week now while Nyssa and Oliver arrived earlier in the day.

‘The two that are known to Al Sah-Him have been targeting those from his father’s book but it is yet to be known whether what they have done or found is linked to the rumours. What is our next move?’ Aaliyah responded before asking the last part cautiously, knowing even though she had a close relationship with Nyssa & Oliver, she was rightfully wary of angering the daughter of the demon.

Nyssa contemplated her thoughts for a moment. She knew that in order to make the next move, they needed as much information as possible. Her father had drilled that into her since a young age. ‘Be aware of your surroundings’ was his lesson to her and that applied here because she didn’t want to make a move without all the information. But on the other hand, there was Oliver and she knew that this would hurt him to bring up his past. It pained her if anything ever hurt him but she knew this was necessary.

‘Beloved’ she began before Oliver interrupted her. ‘No’ he responded with a cold look in his eyes. Nyssa gave him a sympathetic look before calmly responding ‘Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement’. Oliver continued to have an ice cold stare at Nyssa. Deep down he knew she was right but he didn’t want to accept it and as both Nyssa and Oliver have both found out over the years; they are both stubborn.  ‘Do you trust me?’ Nyssa asked. He gave her a nod and replied honestly ‘Always’. Nyssa smiled down at him and gave him a quick kiss before Oliver stood up. Aaliyah had begun to back away and give the couple space until Oliver walked over to her.

‘Ok so do you know where those two are?’ Oliver asked her. She nodded whilst looking down at the ground but her body-language was awkward and different. Oliver sensed this and put his hands on her shoulders which made her look up into his eyes. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked kindly. Gone was the cold-blooded leader but in his place was someone who very few saw. ‘It’s just…erm well I looked into your sister as you asked to make sure she is ok and she is but..i’m’. Oliver understood straight away and immediately gave her a hug before Nyssa, who had overheard the conversation, did the same. Oliver and Nyssa held hands as Oliver said ‘You will always be our little sister. Yes I may see my sister again but that doesn’t change the fact that you are our sister too.’

‘Always’ Nyssa said matter-of-factly.

Aaliyah gave both the assassins another hug before heading off to get some rest. It would seem that Al Sah-Him and Nyssa will be in for an interesting day tomorrow as they begin their mission to save Starling City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're slightly confused at what olivers league suit looks like, it's basically his original arrow suit in season 1 but in all black. I don't think the leagues suit looked that great on him so i changed it. plus if nyssa has her own cool suit I think oliver should have one too.


	2. The First Encounter

Felicity walked down to the foundry with Diggle to find Sara and Shado sparring with a ridiculously high intensity. Not wanting to interrupt them, she made her way over to the computers to find out more about the Triad’s incoming shipment of weapons in Starling. It had been a long day for her already because of her inept boss at Queen Consolidated but it looked like her day was about to get much longer.

‘So guys, you know that that triad activity you asked me to look up? I may have found a location, well there’s two possible locations really, and one is obviously a decoy, and it’s kinda impossible to know which. Well not impossible but you know’ Felicity babbled.

‘Felicity! Get to the point’ Shado replied through gritted teeth. A lot of the time she found Felicity amusing but right now all she cared about was stopping the Triad and ending Chien Na Wei.

‘Yeah sorry. Urm there’s an abandoned building in the northern part of the glades’ Felicity began apologetically before pointing to her computer screen to allow Shado, Sara & Diggle to see exactly where the building was. ‘And the second place is Starling City docks’

‘Let’s go. Diggle you go with Sara to that building and I’ll go to the docks’ Shado ordered whilst already moving to change into her suit. Sara had already changed into her Canary suit and picked up her Bo-staff and was ready to leave with Diggle until he stopped her.

‘Hey, are we sure we’re comfortable letting Shado go down there on her own?’ he asked with a concerned expression on his face.

Sara chuckled slightly before responding ‘you’ve seen how badass she is Dig, don’t worry she will be fine’. Diggle wasn’t convinced but he trusted both Sara and Shado so decided to let it go.

Sara and Diggle arrived at the building that Felicity found and instantly knew something was wrong. In Sara’s experience you could tell when a supposedly abandoned building is actually a front for an illegal organisation, however this building was just abandoned. They looked on every floor but found nothing but a note. It read ‘ _Tonight the hood dies’._ Sara ran out of the building and shouted to Diggle ‘Get to Starling docks NOW!’

* * *

 

Oliver and Nyssa were about to leave their hideout to find out if Sara and Shado knew about what was going on in Starling. Before they could leave however two assassins rushed in. One of the assassins said ‘Nyssa Al Sah-Him, they’ve left to go fight the Triad but the one that goes by the name _The Hood_  doesn’t realise she is heading into a trap set up by Chien Na Wei’. These two assassins were overlooking the area around Verdant and Starling docks in order to gather as much information as possible so they could help the league when they came across the trap that Shado was heading towards.

Oliver, who had a small smile on his face, turned to Nyssa ‘it looks like our night just got a lot more interesting beloved’. Nyssa smirked at him before heading for the door with Oliver just behind her. Both he and Nyssa had been craving for a battle since they had arrived in Starling City and it would seem that is exactly what they would get.

* * *

 

Oliver and Nyssa arrived at Starling Docks but decided to stick to the shadows and nearby rooftops for the time being. Both had their arrows nocked in case the Triad had any of their members located in nearby buildings.  They had both checked the perimeter and found nothing but after all the years of fighting they have experienced, both knew better than to let their guards down. Down by the docks Nyssa spotted some Triad members moving large cases, of what she suspected to be weapons, to vehicles until they were shot with green arrows. Oliver was now alongside his wife watching the green hooded vigilante take down numerous enemies with a combination of her bow and hand to hand combat. He whispered almost inaudibly ‘Shado’.

Shado fired multiple arrows at incoming Triad members hitting each of them, either killing them or slowing them down enough so that she could knock them out with the brass knuckles attached to the bow. She thought that she had taken the last down before she heard a familiar voice behind her. ‘You made a mistake coming here alone vigilante’ China White said in Mandarin. Shado turned around and ran straight towards her, beginning a furious exchange of punches and kicks with China White until she eventually got the better of her with a leg sweep. However, it was this moment around 30 Triad arrived pointing their guns at Shado and she didn’t see a way out of it for once.

Arrow after arrow hit the Triad members in their hearts until only a handful of them remained. None of them could see exactly where these arrows were coming from because they just appeared from the darkness. Oliver fired his grappling arrow allowing him to make his way down to fight, with Nyssa’s arms wrapped around his waist. As they landed, they both rolled and fired an arrow, hitting their opponents in the head before withdrawing their swords.

Diggle and Sara had arrived expecting to help Shado but found a number of deceased bodies with black arrows either in their hearts or through their heads. Eventually they had found Shado but they were frozen in shock just as she was as two hooded people, one dressed in black and the other red and black, effortlessly tore through numerous triad until only one was left.

Upon seeing the two hooded assassins, Chien Na Wei decided to live to fight another day and make her escape, knowing the destruction and skill these two possess. Oliver and Nyssa walked up to the final triad member like how a predator stalks its prey. Nyssa delivered a swift kick to his stomach making him fall to the floor on his knees before she placed her blade by his neck whilst Oliver aimed his arrow at the man’s head. ‘Please, I’ll do whatever you want, please don’t kill me’ he begged.

Nyssa and Oliver looked each other in the eyes, having a silent conversation between each other as they so often do in these situations. They both gave each other a slight nod and smirk before Nyssa dug her blade slightly deeper drawing blood before removing it. Oliver suddenly released his arrow but he aimed it at the man’s shoulder causing him scream in pain. In a deep and bone chilling voice Oliver said ‘Tell Chien Na Wei and the rest of your Triad that Ra’s al Ghul sends his regards’. The man slowly got up due to the pain he was in and ran away, not before silently thanking the assassins for allowing him live.

Shado, Sara & Diggle were still in shock at these two individuals, who destroyed everyone here tonight in a matter of minutes. Shado and Sara were slightly intrigued but Diggle couldn’t believe how cold-blooded those two were. He knew Shado and Sara sometimes did kill, but he knew they did it when there wasn’t another option but for these two it was their opening move. None of them heard what the man in the black hood, which seemed very similar to Shado’s, had said but clearly it scared the shit out of the triad guy.

Nyssa and Oliver stood looking at the man run away for a few moments before they simultaneously turned around to face the group of vigilantes. The silence stretched for about half a minute before Oliver spoke. ‘What do you know about the list in Robert Queens’s book? What have you found out about what is really going on in this city?’ Oliver demanded. Neither Diggle, Shado nor Sara said anything, too in shock that another person beside the Dark Archer knew about the list. Nyssa lost her patience and raised her bow, aiming her arrow at Sara with Oliver doing the same but aiming at Shado. ‘SPEAK NOW’ Nyssa commanded but before anyone could reply, Nyssa and Oliver turned around lowering their bow and returning their arrows to their quiver because they had heard the sound of police sirens coming ever closer. They knew they wouldn’t get their answers tonight. They turned back around to face the vigilantes only for Shado to fire her arrow directly at Oliver’s head.  He effortlessly caught it before it hit him and then tossed it to the ground.

‘We’ll see you both soon, Shado and Sara’ Oliver said with a hint of anger whilst looking directly in their eyes. Nyssa and Oliver fired their grapping arrows making their way to a rooftop and after decided that they had done enough for one night, they made their way home.

Meanwhile, Shado and Sara were rooted to the spot as the SCPD closed in on their location. Neither could believe what they had just witnessed nor how these two hooded individuals knew exactly who they were. It was Diggle and Felicity on their communication links that eventually broke them out of their daze and they made their way back to the foundry to figure out what the hell just happened.

* * *

 

Later that night both Oliver and Nyssa were in their bed with Nyssa resting her head on Oliver’s chest gently stroking the scars on his chest whilst Oliver stroked her hair. They didn’t get what they were after but their appearance tonight certainly made an impression.

‘I’m sorry. I know that couldn’t have been easy for you after what they both did to you’ Nyssa said softly, hoping not to ruin moment.

Oliver smiled down at her, gave her a kiss and replied ‘No, it wasn’t but everything is always much easier with you by my side. Plus we got started in cleaning the city and we were awesome tonight’.

Nyssa laughed at the last part. ‘I love you’ she said tiredly, the night finally catching up to her. ‘I love you too’ Oliver replied before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you watch game of thrones you'll get the reference when oliver threatens the triad :) but obviously i switched it so the protagonists said it instead of the antagonists.


	3. Lian Yu

Oliver and Nyssa sat facing one another in a peaceful silence whilst meditating. He had never really understood the purpose of meditation until Nyssa showed him, around three and a half years ago, how useful it could be to focus the mind. They had known each other for about 6 months at that point and both had realised the connection they shared. Nyssa, wanting to spend more time with Oliver than just training with him, decided to show him the importance of meditation so that they could do it together.

Oliver had a calm and relaxed appearance on the outside but today he was reliving the worst experience on Lian Yu inside of his head. In the four years since it had happened he had only talked about it once and that was when he told Nyssa about how he was left for dead by two people he thought he could trust. He knew after seeing both Shado and Sara he would need to relive it one last time so that he can get some closure. Perhaps after this, he will have a clear head in his next meeting with Sara and Shado rather than the multiple different thoughts that were in his head in the first encounter.

* * *

 

_Lian Yu Four Years Ago:_

_Ivo and his men dragged Sara, Shado & Oliver towards an open space with a few trees surrounding them. All of them had their hands bound and after the failed attempt to use the mirakuru on Slade, Oliver didn’t see a way out of this situation. Oliver didn’t hear anything, too lost in his own thoughts, until he heard his name._

_‘Time to choose Oliver. Who lives and who dies, but pick quickly because in 30 seconds I will shoot them both’. Ivo said with a sadistic smile._

_Oliver didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t choose, he couldn’t. He loved Shado. They had become really close since they had met each other but on the other hand he knew he couldn’t let Sara die either. He would never forgive himself._

_’10 seconds’ Ivo said calmly._

_‘YOU FREAKING PYSCHOPATH’ Oliver shouted knowing he was powerless in this situation._

_‘History will make that judgement’ he responded and after another few seconds he said ‘times up’. Ivo was just about to shoot Sara in the head when Oliver jumped in front screaming ‘NOOO’.  He was going to shoot Shado but he decided he would put the kid out of his misery and kill him now, knowing it would destroy the two young women. He aimed at Oliver who was on his knees. He fired his gun expecting to hit Oliver directly in the head but he had stood up slightly and both of the bullets went through his shoulder instead._

_The screams of Shado and Sara could be heard from afar and Slade Wilson was running as fast as could to help Shado and the Kid. He rushed in, punching one of Ivo’s men directly through his heart. He was shocked and kind of scared at what he could suddenly do but he didn’t have time to dwell on that because the situation required him to destroy all of Ivo’s men._

_Sara and Shado turned around to see an apparently lifeless body of Oliver Queen lying on the ground. From the angle they were looking at, there was blood on his head and they assumed he had been shot in the head. Tears were running down the faces of both women as they both couldn’t hold back their emotions after losing someone they had both loved. Ivo and a couple of Ivo’s men escaped from Slade, taking Oliver with them back to their ship._

* * *

 

_Slade had finished off the remaining men and had cut loose both Shado and Sara. He turned to Shado when he noticed the kid wasn’t there. ‘Shado, where’s the kid?’ he asked only to be met with silence. He asked again only to get the same response. ‘SHADO, WHERE IS THE KID?’ he shouted._

_Shado was still crying and said between her sobs ‘he’s gone. He’s dead’. Slade was in shock. The kid had grown on him since they’ve met and he vowed to destroy all those who were involved in killing Oliver or anyone who got in his way._

_The mirakuru had changed Slade. Shado and Sara could see this and he had turned on them when they argued that they shouldn’t blow up the ship as Shado and Sara wanted to get off the island. As much as they tried to get their Slade back, it was to no use. He had changed and both Sara and Shado knew that this would become a three-way fight on the freighter._

* * *

 

_The battle had begun on the freighter and after seeing Slade Wilson strength in person, he knew there was nothing he could do to stop him physically. Mentally though? That was certainly possible Ivo thought as he dragged an almost unconscious Oliver to the opposite side of the ship where the battle was taking place._

_Slade Wilson had cut through the majority of Ivo’s men and now he had finally found him. To his shock however, he also saw Oliver. There were so many thoughts going through his head but one was certain; there’s no way the kid is here._

_He shook his head but he couldn’t get the kid out of his head so he tried to ignore it instead. ‘YOU KILLED OLIVER! NOW YOU DIE’ he shouted at Ivo who just smirked._

_‘Tell me, did Sara and Shado tell you of the choice that I gave them?’ Ivo asked and continued once he saw the confused look on Slade’s face. ‘Of course they didn’t considering your mental instability with the mirakuru in your body. I offered them all a choice of who lives and who dies. They chose Oliver’ he said clearly lying but the rage inside of Slade blinded him from the lies of Ivo. He took out his sword and swung his sword with fury, decapitating Ivo. Oliver had been in and out of consciousness throughout the conversation but managed to pull himself up from the ground when Ivo’s head fell near his feet._

_Slade looked at Oliver, still scared as to why he was seeing his friend. Was it punishment for failing him? But then suddenly his mirakuru filled rage returned and it was time to find Shado and Sara. He made his way to where Shado, Sara & the other prisoners were fighting the crew. He walked up behind Shado with his sword ready to stab her in the back but he stops when he feels a hand on his shoulder._

_‘Kid, GO AWAY’ he screams gaining the attention of Shado and Sara who whisper Oliver and Ollie respectively. Shado and Sara know that Oliver is alive, they must’ve just seen it wrong earlier. Why would Ivo take his body if he killed him Shado mused. Yes, he’s definitely alive she mentally said._

_The ship was moving further away from the island and soon it would be too far to make it back to the island if they needed to abandon the ship. Slade began to swing his sword at Oliver, who narrowly avoided a fatal blow. Sara and Shado were shouting at Slade, trying to get him to see that this is actually Oliver but it was to no avail. Oliver was shaky on his feet after losing quite a lot of blood and after avoiding another hit from Slade, Oliver fell into the side of the freighter, holding onto to it otherwise he would’ve collapsed onto the floor._

_Oliver couldn’t get through to Slade and he knew that this was it. Slade had his sword ready to strike him and that’s exactly what occurred. Oliver didn’t feel much at first but then the pain came along with coldness as Slade kicked him off the freighter and he floated back towards the island, not sure how long he would survive with the blood loss._

* * *

 

_Sara picked up a gun that used to belong to a member of the crew. She saw Slade advancing on her and she fired round after round into him. It had little effect on him. He had the eyes of a madman lost to his rage and he angrily said to Sara ‘you killed Oliver, you chose him’. Sara was really confused and scared as Slade neared her._

_Slade had almost reached Sara when Shado got his attention by shouting his name. He turned around to face the woman he once loved. With a nod to the left, she instructed Sara to move away from Slade and then she threw a grenade that she had found at Slade, blowing up directly at his feet. Once the smoke from the explosion had cleared, Sara and Shado found Slade on the floor with one of his legs completely blown up. The pain he was in was clear to see and Shado decided to give him a merciful death because she knew that the real Slade Wilson was already dead. She withdrew an arrow from her quiver and looked directly into his eyes. Slade however didn’t look particularly scared, just in pain. ‘I will kill you both. You cannot die until you have felt true despair…and you will. I promise’ he said angrily. With the arrow in her hand, she brought it down so that it went directly through his right eye. With the help with some of the survivors like Anatoli, they managed to throw Slade’s supposedly dead body into the sea._

_Sara & Shado went to the end of freighter and looked back at Lian Yu which would soon be out of sight. A former prisoner of Ivo walked over to where they were standing but gave them space as he knew they had lost two people they cared about today. Sara and Shado saw a body had washed up on the shores of Lian Yu. They knew it was Oliver and they knew in all likeliness he was dead and Shado had no intention of returning to the island just to confirm Oliver is dead because of the dangers that island possesses. You don’t survive gunshot wounds and sword wounds for long so she knew Oliver was dead this time._

_The man eventually saw the body of Oliver getting further and further away. He asked both women ‘Are we not going back for him? I thought you knew him? The women turned around and began walking towards the main part of the ship. As Shado passed the man she said ‘He’s dead. We’re not going back to that godforsaken island just for a corpse. We are going to Hong Kong’._

_Shado and Sara didn’t look back to the island and Oliver, knowing it would be hard to move on from this experience but also knowing that they had to try and forget it. Oliver wouldn’t want them to dwell on the past._

* * *

 

_Madrid, Spain Half a Year Later:_

_Al Sah-Him had completed his simple assassination on a local drug lord, who didn’t have an issue to killing innocent people. As he was jumping across the rooftops to head to a league base in Madrid, he spotted a man who looked familiar. Despite it being 2AM in the morning, hence making it very difficult to see people, Al Sah-him was certain he met this man on the Amazo. He jumped down in front of the man and ushered him into an alleyway._

_The man was shitting himself. A real life ninja just appeared in front of him and he thought he was going to die. AGAIN. Oliver took off his hood and the look on the man’s face was priceless. It was a mixture of shock and fear._

_‘How? Urm wait what? You…You’re alive’ he stuttered._

_Of course in normal situations, Oliver would never reveal his face to anyone who is not League of Assassins. However, he needed answers about what had occurred on the freighter and that’s exactly what he asked. The man explained everything and how Sara & Shado left him on that island even though they could’ve coming back for him according to the man. Oliver thanked the man before making his exit back up to the rooftops. The way the man talked he knew it was the truth and he had seen the freighter disappear off into the distance. A single tear fell down his cheek which he quickly wiped away. His expression quickly changed from sadness to anger. He had an ice-cold demeanour as he made his way back to the league hideout finally fully embracing his new assassin life._

* * *

 

_Lian Yu:_

_Oliver didn’t know how long had gone by since the freighter disappeared in the distance but he knew it couldn’t have been that long. With the wound he has suffered, he knows he’ll die sooner rather than later. The next time he opens his eyes he sees around half a dozen people dressed in black standing fairly close to him. A woman was standing in front of him and Oliver sat up slightly to get a better look at her. She is really beautiful he thought. The woman had her sword and dagger sheathed whilst she held her bow in her left hand with her quiver of arrows on her back._

_‘Huh, she’s an archer too. I like her already’ he thought and a small smirk coming to his face. ‘Who…are… you? He asked painfully, each word causing indescribable pain._

_‘I am Nyssa al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, Heir to the Demon’._


	4. Verdant

Oliver opened his eyes and saw his beautiful wife still meditating. He had replayed the events that led to him meeting Nyssa. A part of him knew that if Sara and Shado did come back for him, then he would never have met Nyssa. However, most of him felt betrayed by his two former girlfriends.

He smiled at how peaceful Nyssa looked. She was always very calm before any mission and today was no different. This is mission would be quiet easy though as it was just intel. Aaliyah had found the exact location of the vigilante’s base and Nyssa decided it was time for her & Aaliyah to go check it out in person. Meanwhile, Oliver wanted to go visit the tombstones that his family had made for himself and his father at Queen Mansion. Nyssa had offered to accompany him but Oliver said he would be fine by himself and it was important for Nyssa & Aaliyah to know how to get into Sara & Shado’s base of operations.

Nyssa felt her beloved’s eyes on her so she opened her to look at him. Her breath hitched and she loved how a look from him could still take her breath away.  They both smiled at each other and then Nyssa moved forward slightly, climbing into Oliver lap and giving him a passionate kiss. Oliver moved his hands to her waist as her hands wrapped around his neck. He lifted her up which caused her to have girlish squeal that is only ever heard in the presence of her husband.

Oliver carried her to their room. ‘Beloved, I need to leave’ Nyssa said between kisses but Oliver was having none of it. ‘I’m sure being slightly late won’t affect our plans’ he said with a mischievous smile which Nyssa returned.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Shado and Sara were in the foundry with the rest of the team discussing the events that occurred a couple of days ago. They had asked Felicity to see if she could use the security footage of Starling docks to get a better look at the two hooded individuals but it seemed they were one step ahead as all the video evidence of that night had been erased.

So all they had to go off were the descriptions that Sara, Shado & Diggle had given.  They were not even sure if they were enemies or not but they clearly knew who the vigilantes were and that made them a threat.

Whilst the rest of the team were focussing on this new ‘threat’, Felicity was concentrating on Garfield Lynns who was the man who was supposedly killed by a fire at Nodell Towers two years ago. She had quickly figured out that this was the man who was killing other firemen who had the same tattoo that he did. After she told the rest of the team her theory, she decided to leave the foundry so that she could get ready for the benefit Tommy was throwing for the firefighters.

Shado stood at the back of the foundry practicing with her bow and arrow. She was deep in thought and didn’t even realise that Sara and Diggle had finished up their sparring match and Sara was walking towards her. She knew that something was familiar about the man but she couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

‘Hey, what are you thinking about? Sara asked. ‘Shado?’ she said but was met with silence from the woman who has become a sister to her. Out of the corner of Shado’s eye she caught Diggle looking at her suit and that’s when it hit her. _The Hood_

She quickly made her way over to Diggle with Sara just behind her. She picked up her hood and it was uncanny how similar the green and black hoods were in design. ‘Our hoods are the same’ Shado revealed. ‘Mine and the man who has the black hood’.

Diggle and Sara took a moment to process the information and they came to the same conclusion; they did look very similar. ‘Ok, let’s assume they’re the same. How would that guy have the same one as you?’ Diggle asked.

‘Ollie told me once that the hood belonged to your father. Do you think this person knew him?’ Sara said. Her mood had improved in the last few minutes after finally making some progress, albeit small progress.

‘Yes it belonged to my father but I don’t know if this guy knew him. The hood was given to my father by this woman who trained him. He never told me who she was. Some of his movements reminded me of my father so my guess is both my father and this mystery black hood guy were taught by the same woman’ Shado deduced.

Before Sara or Diggle could say anything Shado spoke again. ‘But then again this man was on a different level to my father. Both the man and that woman had skill that I cannot begin to comprehend. I have surpassed what my father can do but I don’t know what I could do against them two’ she spoke with fear evident in her voice.

Sara put her arm around Shado comforting her and then spoke with noticeable confidence in her voice ‘No, we will win. They have no idea what we’ve been through and how good we’ve become. They may be good but we, we are better’. Sara smiled at her sister in all but blood and Shado returned the smile.

‘And you have me as well. Three of us versus’ two of them? I like our chances. It also helps that you are both Bratva captains, so we have them too’ Diggle pitched in hoping to show Shado why they couldn’t lose.  It worked as Shado gave him a smile too. She felt more confident after the words of her team. _They just got in my head. I know how good both Sara and I are. Together no-one stands a chance she mentally said._ After their talk they all left to get ready for the benefit for the firefighters.

Unbeknownst to Diggle, Oliver and Nyssa have an army of the most deadly assassins the world have ever seen at their command.

* * *

 

Nyssa & Aaliyah made their way into Verdant wearing beautiful dresses that made them clearly standout in the crowd. _Damn it Oliver_ Nyssa thought. Whilst both she and Aaliyah liked the dresses that Oliver insisted they wear, they both didn’t intend to stand out in the crowd.

‘So when do we start looking for where their secret door is?’ Aaliyah asked as they both made their way to one of Verdant’s many bars. Nyssa smiled at the girl who had much to learn.

‘They will show us exactly how to get into their base before the night is up. Have patience, little sister’ Nyssa said confidently.

They both got drinks from the bar before heading off to chat to those who had turned up to the benefit in order to look like they belonged there. Whilst they were talking they had noticed Sara, Shado & Thea walk into the club. It was the first time she had ever seen the beloved little sister of her husband. She was nothing like how he described her which was to be expected as it had been nearly 6 years since he had seen her. She had grown into a confident and beautiful young woman rather than the kid who followed Oliver around.

As Thea made her way to people Nyssa assumed were her friends, Shado accompanied another woman that Oliver had told her about, to talk to the chief of the fire department. _Oliver has slept with them three_ she pondered. _Luckily he’s not the same person he once told me he was because if he was I’d kick his ass’_ she thought amusingly which brought a slight smirk to her face.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by Sara Lance who was heading towards them. She was wearing a mini-dress that accentuated the curves of her body and overall she was just beautiful. However all Nyssa saw was the one that hurt her beloved. Whilst Nyssa didn’t like this woman, she plastered on a fake smile and tried to act like she was paying attention to Sara. When it became clear that Sara was hitting on her, Nyssa kindly informed her she wasn’t interested as she’s happily married. Sara would’ve turned her attention to Aaliyah but both Nyssa and Aaliyah had already begun a conversation with someone else.

Sara walked away not entirely dejected as it was likely someone as hot as that chick was always likely to be taken but there was something about Nyssa that didn’t feel right to her. She was walking towards Diggle and Felicity to discuss it with them when Garfield Lynn’s walked in and directed his flamethrower at the chief, Shado & Laurel.  

Sara was relieved that Shado had gotten her sister to safety to Tommy but now it was time for the vigilantes to stop this man before he killed innocent people. Shado and Sara raced towards the door that led to the basement where they quickly changed into their vigilante uniforms and made their way back upstairs to confront Lynns.

At the same time, Nyssa followed to where Shado and Sara went whilst Aaliyah was trying to get her mentor’s attention. She had seen the door where Sara and Shado went through and decided it’s time to leave the club.

Aaliyah couldn’t believe that Nyssa would just allow innocent people to burn alive. However whilst following Nyssa, she hadn’t noticed that everyone had made it outside the club. ‘How can we just leave when there’s people we can save!’ she exclaimed to Nyssa. She turned around to see flames but no people and therefore realising that everyone must’ve got outside like Nyssa had already known. ‘My bad’ she said apologetically.

‘I would never let innocent people die’ Nyssa said whilst making her way to the exit. _Well most of the time. There’s always collateral damage in battles_ she silently said. Once they were outside of the club she turned to her student and little sister. ‘That man was only targeting the chief of the firefighters. He clearly only wanted him dead and even told others to escape so don’t worry Aaliyah they were never in danger. If they were I would’ve helped them’ Nyssa said honestly.

Aaliyah gave Nyssa a quick hug before asking ‘What do we do now that we know how to get in?

‘We go home and we make a decision with Al Sah-Him. Also before you meet us tomorrow, ask the other members if they’ve found out anything new regarding Al Sa-her’

Aaliyah nodded and both made their way back to their individual league safehouses.  

* * *

 

Back in the club, The Hood and The Black Canary confronted Lynns trying to get him to back down. The man explained how he wasn’t afraid of dying, but rather living. He set the rest of the club on fire with him inside.

Once the fire had been put out, Shado and Sara were not happy having failed to save Lynn’s life but still had smiles on their faces after their talk about the hooded individuals. They had something to go on and they were confident they could win if they had to fight them. Thea walked over to the two people who have been there for her since they came to the city almost a year ago. ‘Why are you two smiling? Your club got burnt’.

‘It was already under construction. Now it’s just more under construction. I’ll see you later, Speedy’ Sara replied and then headed home after calling it night.

* * *

 

Oliver made his way over to Queen Mansion knowing he wouldn’t be seen as it was late at night. Originally, he was just going to go in casual clothing but Nyssa reminded him that there’s always threats hence he was now wearing his customized league suit.

He knelt down to the tombstones of Oliver Queen & Robert Queen. ‘I’m sorry’ he whispered quietly to his tombstone knowing how often hiss sister must come out here. It hurt him knowing he caused his sister this sort of pain. _One day perhaps I can be honest with her about who I really am._

He then looked over to the tombstone of his father. He had buried his father on Lian Yu but at that moment he had no idea who his father really was. Now however he knows exactly who he is and he whispers ‘I will write your wrongs dad. I will not fail this city like you. I will not stop just with Starling City. Nyssa & I will make the world a safer place even if some so called heroes don’t agree with our methods. We will do what’s necessary so that they don’t have to. We’re the people this world needs but doesn’t deserve’.

Oliver was interrupted by sound of incoming footsteps. He stood up and turned around only to come face to face with 3 people he didn’t think he would meet again. The last time he had seen these three men, Nyssa and himself had crushed their drug trafficking operations in Mexico to the point where their cartel was finished. These three had escaped and with their whole operation destroyed, the league didn’t think it was necessary to hunt them down.

‘How did you find me?’ Oliver asked calmly showing no signs of fear as the 3 brothers aimed their pistols at Oliver.

‘You and your little girlfriend’s fight with the Triad caught our attention and we instantly knew it was you’ the tallest and the one with the largest build said.

‘So what are you going to do now that you’ve found me? Oliver asked with a tone of arrogance to his voice.

‘We will kill you for what you did to us and then we will find that bitch you call a girlfriend and kill her too’ the man on the far left spat with obvious distaste in his voice. Oliver smirked at this, finding it amusing that they think that they could hurt Nyssa. Oliver had his hood down so that all these men could see was the lower half of his face.

‘You think we are joking?’ the only man not to have spoken yet says disbelievingly. He was about to shoot Oliver but before he knows what has happened, Oliver has already fired two arrows knocking the guns out of the hands of two of the three men.

The one man who still had a gun fired at Oliver but he already pulled out his sword and deflected the bullet. He ran towards them and began engaging them in hand to hand combat, easily avoiding or blocking every punch each of them threw.

He decided it was time to put them out of their misery. He struck one of the men through the heart with his sword and followed it up by withdrawing an arrow from his quiver and hitting another one of the men through the heart.

The final man left alive had just witnessed his two brothers killed with ease by this man in a hood and he didn’t want to follow them to the grave. He began running away as Oliver calmly wiped away the blood from his sword and placed it inside its holder on his back. He then pulled the arrow out of the heart of the man he had killed and fired it at the one running away. It struck the man through the knee and he instantly fell to the floor.

Oliver walked over to him and moved himself so that he was standing right behind him as the man was on his knees. He withdrew his dagger and placed it at the man’s throat. ‘Do you know why my wife & I destroyed your cartel?’ Oliver asked and continued when he was met with silence. ‘Your drug wars was killing innocent people. Your business used children to distribute drugs!’

‘if you’re going to kill me, kill me but I will not apologise for doing what was necessary to compete with the other drug lords’ he said trying to sound brave but failing as he was facing certain death.

‘You should be thankful. If my wife was here right now, you would suffer a fate far worse than death for calling her a bitch. Luckily for you, I will settle for your death by my blade’ Oliver said cold-bloodedly and followed it up by ruthlessly slitting his throat.

Oliver made his way home wondering how Nyssa and Aaliyah’s night turned out, hoping they didn’t get up to too much trouble. Then again he’s in no position to judge after his night.


	5. The Second Encounter

Felicity rushed down the stairs of the foundry and immediately began searching for Shado or Sara. She saw Shado making new arrows and walked over to her as quickly as her high heels would allow her to. ‘Have you heard about the three murders that happened by Thea’s house last night. The police found a black arrow’ she exclaimed trying to catch her breath.

Shado turned her head towards Felicity with a frustrated look on her face. Thea had a difficult night with Verdant going up in flames and now she goes home and there’s three dead bodies. The girl just can’t catch a break. ‘Find out everything you can about who the people were and if those two hooded people were involved’.

‘What about you? Where are you going?’ Felicity asked as Shado made her way to the exit.

‘Queen Mansion. I’m going to check up on Thea’ she replied. She picked up her jacket and left the foundry, leaving Felicity alone.

* * *

 

Shado walked up to the front door of Queen Mansion and knocked. It was only a moment before Raisa opened the door and allowed Shado inside.

‘Good morning Miss Shado, everyone is just in that room’ Raisa said, pointing to the room where Thea currently is.

‘Morning Raisa’ Shado replied politely, making her way into the room. Shado entered the room to find Thea and Laurel on the couch talking. _Laurel must also be here to see how Thea is doing_ Shado guessed. ‘Hey Laurel, Thea. How are you doing?’ she asked, directing her question to Thea.

‘Ok I suppose, it’s just why did this have to happen by dad and Ollie’s tombstones. It’s just I miss him you know? Thea responded with a sad smile. Shado knew how she felt. She missed Oliver’s presence greatly but she had moved on. Thea on the other hand could never move on as it was her brother.

Shado gave the young woman a hug and then suggested they all go out to get something to eat. Laurel and Thea agreed and they decided to head to Big Belly Burger. As they drove there, Shado began wondering why anyone would kill three drug lords outside of Thea’s house. Laurel had found out who the people were from her father and had told Shado on the drive to Big Belly Burger. _They must have history to come all the way to Starling City to settle their feud. The black arrows have only been used by the Dark Archer and those other two archers and swordsman/woman. I don’t think the Dark Archer is behind this. He usually sends a very clear message to Sara and myself. This is definitely the work of those other two._

‘So where’s Sara?’ Laurel asked after noticing Shado was daydreaming.

‘Huh? Oh sorry, errm I think she’s still sleeping at our apartment. She wasn’t in the best of moods last night after she struck out when she tried to flirt with some girl’. This caused Laurel and Thea to snigger. Initially, Sara & Laurel’s relationship was strained at best due to the fact that Sara had slept with Laurel’s boyfriend. However, over time the two sisters have bonded and now they are both at a place where they love each other again.

They arrived at Big Belly Burger where they enjoyed their meal. They chatted about some of Laurel’s cases, Thea’s social life and Verdant. During their conversation, Shado’s phone rung and it was a call from Felicity. She answered and Felicity informed her something had happened and she needed to come to the club right away.

Shado paid for the food and stood up ‘Sorry girls but I have to get going. Club business. I’ll see you both later!’ she said making her way to the exit and giving the two women a friendly wave before exiting the restaurant.

Laurel and Thea continued to chat with each other and the conversation eventually turned to Thea’s impending court case after being arrested for a DUI. Thea was strangely calm about the situation even as Laurel was trying to show her how much trouble she’s actually in. Thea was calm because to her, Ollie did things just as bad and he got away with it and therefore she will too.

Remembering her brother instantly changed her facial expression to one of sadness and despair. It had been close to six years and she hadn’t got over the fact her big brother was gone and realistically she never thinks she will ever get over it.

‘Hey, what’s wrong? Your face just changed from looking confident to looking like a kid who just lost her favourite toy? Laurel asked concerned about the young woman who she saw as another younger sister even after everything Oliver Queen did to Laurel.

‘Ollie’ she whispered and then she didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Laurel just let Thea gather her thoughts and finally Thea spoke again. ‘I remember when he had to go to court. I wish he was here. He’d know what to say to me’ she said sadly.

The way Thea spoke broke Laurel’s heart. The girl missed her brother so much and it was not fair. Although she admits that Oliver had many faults, the one thing he loved more than anything in the world was his sister and for the first time in years she too wished Ollie was here right now.

* * *

 

Shado arrived at the foundry to find the other three members of the team gathered around the computers. She walked over to where the others were standing and peered over Sara’s shoulder. She saw a note that said: _Go to the North District, East Starling tonight at 10pm. We’ll find you._

‘What the hell? How did they even send this note? Shado growled. They were calling Team Arrow out and this frustrated Shado. She liked being the one in control but in this situation she was definitely not the one in control. The only real advantage she saw was that they had three people compared to two.

‘I was just on the computer here and then everything went pitch black for about 20 seconds and when the power came back on that note was on my lap’ Felicity said fearfully.

‘How could anyone even get in here?’ Diggle asked. It was a good question because honestly, Shado didn’t have an answer to it.

Shado was just about to tell John that she didn’t know but Sara spoke first. ‘Last night there were a lot of people at the club. When you and I went down to get changed, someone could’ve seen us put in the code to the door’ Sara concluded. ‘It means they were in our club last night’.

Shado sighed with frustration. There were too many problems that they were facing right now. There was those 3 deaths at Thea’s house, the Dark Archer, the two hooded figures and the small task of honouring Oliver’s father by taking down people on the list. _Tonight we take care of one of those issues._

‘Felicity, can you change the code to the door? Sara and Diggle, we shall go to the North District tonight. It’s time to face them’ Shado ordered. Sara and Diggle nodded. Sara then went up the stairs to actually take care of some business regarding the club as she was desperate for the club to open soon. It wasn’t that she found the vigilante life unfulfilling but rather she wanted to show that she could do something else as well as kicking ass.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, two league members who go by the name Amirah and Sahir entered Oliver and Nyssa’s base after completing their mission. They had delivered the note to the vigilantes of Starling City and they came here to let the heirs of Ra’s al Ghul know that the plan is set. Sahir left to carry out other league business whilst Amirah was asked to stay.

‘Amirah, you shall train with Aaliyah whilst Al Sah-Him and I are away tonight. She is very talented but I know you can teach her some new skills’ Nyssa commanded. Amirah nodded her head in acknowledgement and went in search of Aaliyah in one of the training rooms.

Al Sah-Him had finished training with numerous league members and it ended with each of them on the floor. ‘Enough! Each of you need to work on your technique. We shall continue this tomorrow’ he said. He then left in search of his wife and when he had found her she informed him that their plan was set and tonight they would find out more of this rumoured ‘undertaking’, they hoped.

‘What time did you say we will meet them? Oliver asked his wife. This plan was entirely set out by Nyssa and Oliver had no problem with letting her do it. He didn’t see their relationship as where one has more command than the other. They are equals so therefore sometimes the mission will be set by Oliver, sometimes by Nyssa and most of the time they discuss it together.

‘10pm but we will leave here at 10:15. Keeping them waiting will frustrate them. Someone who is frustrated will not be in control of their emotions, hence they will be more likely to make a mistake’ Nyssa said grinning at him.

Oliver wrapped his arms around her and looked down at her also grinning. ‘When did my wife become so wise?’ he said light-heartedly. She looked up at him with an obviously fake hurt expression as they were just playing around.

‘I have always been wise, husband’ she said giving him a pout. They both then grinned at each other before sharing a passionate kiss.

* * *

 

Darkness descended upon Starling City and two vigilantes and their partner were making their way across the rooftops of the North District. They had been searching for 15 minutes for the two who sent the note to them but they had yet to find them. Diggle was beginning to get frustrated and thought that this is them clearly playing a trick on them.

‘Look, they said that they will find us right? So let them come to us. That building looks abandoned’ Sara said, pointing to a building in the distance that looked like it had seen better days. ‘Let’s wait for them there’.

Shado nodded and they made their way to the building. There was no electricity running through the building which was an issue as they didn’t want to stand in a pitch black building. ‘Hey Felicity, can you do your thing and like get some electricity over to this building?’ Sara asked through the comms.

‘Of course, I’m kinda offended that you think I couldn’t do that. Not that it’s easy, well it’s easy for some but you know not for everyone’ Felicity babbled but was cut off by Shado who simply told her to do what Sara said.

The lights in the building turned on and they could finally see what the building looked like. It was spacious and quite open as everything that used to be here had been cleared out. Above them were some rafters and then the ceiling of the building. It was not particularly big for a factory as it only had one floor but it was very spacious for a 3 on 2 battle.

They waited patiently for them to arrive. Another 15 minutes went by and Team Arrow were just either sat down or standing waiting for the arrival of Oliver and Nyssa. Diggle finally lost it and walked over to Shado and Sara furiously. ‘They’re playing us! While we’re here who knows what they could be up to!’ Diggle shouted furiously at the other two. Shado was taken aback as she had never really seen Diggle lose his cool. And then it happened.

The lights went out for about 10 seconds and when they came back on, the man with the black hood stood there staring right at the team. ‘Speak of the devil and he shall appear’ Sara said cheekily to her teammates. She was definitely ready to fight this man.

He had his bow in his left hand but didn’t make any movement to get an arrow out of his quiver. After a significant period of silence that only built up the tension along with the fact he never broke eye-contact, he spoke utilising his voice modulator which made his voice extremely frightening. ‘ _We are not the devils_ ’ he said slowly and it sent chills down the spine of each member of Team Arrow.

Nyssa dropped down from the rafters and quickly put Diggle into a chokehold causing him to pass out in a matter of seconds. ‘ _We are the Demons_ ’ Nyssa said finishing her husband’s sentence with an equally, if not more, frightening tone.


	6. The Reveal

Nyssa backed away from Diggle’s unconscious body and moved to stand beside her husband. From the look on Sara & Shado’s faces, it was clear that Nyssa’s words scared them to their core. It was the look of shock and fear that Oliver & Nyssa had seen numerous times before.

The look in Oliver eyes is what was keeping Shado & Sara rooted to the spot. They saw the pain in them but they also saw cruel & cold look he had. Today, he wore a facemask that covered the lower half of his face, allowing only his eyes to be seen.

Oliver and Nyssa made their way over to Shado and Sara. Nyssa had her sword out, ready to battle with Sara whilst Oliver had his bow in his left hand whilst his right hand was ready to go to his quiver if Shado made a move.

* * *

 

Shado and Sara gave each other a nod, silently agreeing who each were going to fight. Shado quickly fired two arrows at Oliver which he nonchalantly avoided. He was now running towards Shado and she once again fired an arrow at Oliver, who instead of avoiding it this time decided to catch it. However, unlike on the previous occasion when he caught her arrow, this time it exploded in his hand and disorientated him briefly.

The flashbang arrow knocked him down to the ground but he quickly got up. ‘Is that all you got?’ he asked mockingly. He was smirking underneath his facemask because even he, one half of the heir to the demon, was surprised by her arrow. _She should’ve fired an arrow at me when I was down. Not that it would’ve done much as I would’ve moved out of the way but it’s better than doing nothing like she is. If she is expecting to catch me off guard again, she is mistaken. I don’t make the same mistake twice._

‘Come find out’ she fired back and just as soon as she finished the final word, he was upon her using his bow as a makeshift staff and hit her right in the face. His speed of his attacks were unprecedented for Shado. The bow to the face sent her back a few steps and Oliver followed it up with a shin kick that he had learned when he studied muay Thai in the league. This brought Shado to her knees in front of Oliver.

Even though she was on her knees, Shado still believed she had a few tricks up her sleeves. One of those tricks was literally up her sleeve as quickly took one of the flechette’s she kept by her forearm and aimed it at the heart of the hooded man. Unfortunately for her, he easily caught it and tossed it aside immediately. He then looked at her in the eyes for a brief moment and followed it up with a 360 degree spinning heel kick that hit her right in the chin. She immediately fell to the floor and her bow fell out of her hands.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, the other member of Team Arrow was not faring much better, in fact she was probably doing worse because at least Shado had been able to surprise Oliver for a brief moment and get him off of his feet. Sara, on the other hand, couldn’t land a single hit on Nyssa as it was clear there was a huge gulf in class between the two women. At least there was a massive difference in class in hand to hand combat because Nyssa was pleasantly surprised by her skill with her Bo staff. Of course, even though Sara was skilled in that aspect of combat, Nyssa was still on a whole different level.

Nyssa placed her sword in its holder and removed two escrima sticks from their holders by her legs. They circled each other searching for an opening. Nyssa feigned a move, hoping that Sara would fall right into her trap which she did, kind of. Sara reacted to the slight movement from her opponent by surging forward to attack which was exactly what Nyssa wanted but just as Sara was about to bring her Bo staff down on Nyssa’s shoulder, she pulled back and attempted a leg sweep in order to get Nyssa to the floor. Sara adjusted her original attack because she saw Nyssa shift her weight slightly that would allow her to avoid her attack and hit her whilst she was open. Therefore, she quickly adjusted her own attack which did surprise Nyssa but it wasn’t enough to catch her out as she stepped back to avoid the leg sweep. 

‘Not bad’ Nyssa said whilst smirking. ‘But not good enough’ she exclaimed as she ran towards Sara and ducked under the staff that Sara swung. Using one of her sticks she hit Sara on the side of her leg which made her drop to one knee. Sara grunted in pain but quickly got back up and split her bo staff in two so it was more mobile than one long staff. Nyssa and Sara began a furious exchange where they met each other’s attacks with equal ferocity. They both continued to adjust their attacks to make sure they were not predictable as well as changing their speed of their attacks. However for every attack that Sara attempted with her sticks, Nyssa countered expertly.

Sara was beginning to get out of breath as she tried her hardest to land a hit on her opponent but nothing was working and to make matters worse, it seemed her opponent wasn’t even struggling at all. She had a calm demeanour and it frustrated Sara that her opponent wasn’t even trying. _This shouldn’t be possible. There’s no way someone can be this good._

They engaged each other again and their short exchange ended with each of their sticks striking one another. If one was watching this fight one would think they were at a stalemate but that was clearly not the case. Their faces were close and the contrast was stark. Sara was clearly struggling whilst Nyssa could barely contain her glee at the situation. ‘How? What…What are you?’ Sara grunted, trying to overpower Nyssa to no avail.

‘I already told you. I am the Demon’ Nyssa replied with a mischievous smile. She then overpowered Sara, knocking one of her sticks out of her hand. With one hand unarmed, Sara was completely powerless to prevent Nyssa from hitting her across the side of her head with speed and power. The force at which her escrima stick hit Sara caused her to crumble to the floor.

* * *

 

Blood was pouring out of Shado’s mouth. She wiped some of it away with the back of her hand and she looked over to the right to see her partner down on the floor with a head wound, some of her blonde hair becoming a dark crimson colour. Her initial instincts were right, these people were monsters that were on a complete different level to themselves. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Diggle stand up and aim his gun at the man in the black hood. Just as he was about to shoot, the woman in red and black spoke.

‘Your friend isn’t very clever. He should’ve stayed down’ Nyssa said, her eyes going from Shado to Sara.  In a flash, both Oliver and Nyssa had fired arrows with one of Nyssa’s arrow going through Diggle’s right shoulder and one of Oliver’s arrow going through his left. The other arrow that each fired went through his forearm meaning he didn’t have the strength to fire his gun even if he wanted to.

The arrows caused Diggle to gasp out in pain and drop his gun whilst his two team mates shouted his name with concern. He staggered back until he felt a wall behind him and leaned on it to make sure he didn’t fall to the ground. _In my condition there is nothing I can do for them_ he thought angrily.

* * *

 

Oliver turned his attention back to Shado and asked her ‘Round 2?’ Sara had fought Nyssa for longer and couldn’t go for much longer but Shado had only taken a few hits. She wasn’t done yet. She picked up her bow and fired multiple arrows at Oliver who effortlessly avoided them. As she was firing them, she moved closer and closer to Oliver. She attempted to use her bow to hit Oliver, but he countered it by using his own bow to deflect the hit. She tried again, this time aiming for his head with the brass knuckles on her bow but Oliver once again avoided it, this time by ducking underneath it.

As he ducked underneath her bow, Oliver grabbed her wrist, twisting sharply which lead Shado to cry out in pain and drop her bow which Oliver kicked away. Oliver himself slung his bow onto his back. He then began to engage Shado in hand to hand combat with a number of quick punches and kicks that she could not defend. His movements were far too quick for Shado and eventually one of his kicks caused her to collapse on the floor, completely defeated.

* * *

 

Sara watched in awe but also anger at what this man was doing to Shado whilst Nyssa watched with a proud smile on her face. Sara crawled towards Shado and lifted her up so that her head was resting of Sara’s shoulder. Oliver and Nyssa moved so that they were once again standing next to each other.

‘The same question as last time. What do you know of Robert Queen’s book?’ Nyssa asked. As a beat-up Shado and Sara sat in silence, Nyssa began to speak again. ‘That book is directly linked danger that this city faces. It is more than just a list of names. So I’m going to ask again, what do you know?’

This time Shado spoke up ‘Nothing. All we know is those people in that book have failed this city’. Shado decided to speak the truth when the woman had said that she knows that the book is linked to the dangers that Starling City faces.

Oliver and Nyssa knew from the way she spoke that she was telling the truth. ‘The undertaking. Have you heard anything about it?’ Oliver asked but Shado immediately replied with an angry look on her face. ‘You will answer my question now. Who are you and why did you kill those three people at Queen Mansion?’

Oliver looked amused by her demeanour. ‘You really think you’re in a position to ask questions?’ he said and chuckled. ‘Fine I’ll answer only because I admire your bravery. I killed them because they tried to kill me as my wife and I destroyed their drug empire in Mexico. And to your first question, I am your past catching up to you. Both of you. Now answer the question’ the last part coming as a command.

They felt slightly better knowing that these two destroyed the organisation that those drug dealers ran but not much better because these two clearly were a significant threat to everyone. Additionally, they were confused about the last thing the man said. _How does he know us?_

‘We don’t know about any undertaking. We just take people down on the list to honour our friend, whose father gave him the list’ Sara said desperately trying to convince the couple that they didn’t know anything. ‘Look we are on the same side, I can see you resent that list. You two clearly know some stuff that we don’t. Why don’t we help each other?’

Nyssa and Oliver looked at each and silently communicated to each other that they do not know about the undertaking and both are telling the truth. Completely ignoring that last part that Sara said, Nyssa looked Sara in the eyes and spoke with venom ‘Your friend? You think you’re honouring your friend? He would be disgusted at how weak you two are’.

This infuriated both Sara and Shado. They both managed to find the strength to get to their feet. ‘Who do you think you are? Sara screamed. ‘You know nothing. Oliver would be proud of who we have become’ Shado yelled with equal ferocity as Sara.

This caused Oliver to chuckle. ‘I believe my wife to be correct in her assumption. Oliver Queen would be disgusted at the two of you. A word of advice. That book is directly linked to the undertaking. Something in there will help you. Find it and then find us’. He then turned to Nyssa ‘Let’s go, we’re not going to get anything else tonight’.

Oliver and Nyssa walked over towards the exit whilst Diggle moved towards Sara and Shado. Oliver and Nyssa were almost out of the building when Shado yelled ‘Who are you?’ Oliver and Nyssa stopped and looked at each. Oliver gave a slight nod and Nyssa knew it was time.

Nyssa turned around and lowered her hood and veil. ‘I am Nyssa al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, Heir to the Demon’.  Sara was stunned. She never would’ve thought the woman that she flirted with would be the one under the hood. Nyssa smirked in their direction as she knew that what was about to come would rock Team Arrow to its core.

Oliver then turned around and looked each member of Team Arrow in the eyes. He removed his facemask and tossed it aside. The look on his face was frightening. He lowered his hood to reveal himself to Shado and Sara, with a smirk appearing on his face.

His hair was shorter and slightly spiked on the top but it’s definitely Oliver Queen Sara and Shado thought, looking like they had just seen a ghost. They were frozen in shock and couldn’t move even if they wanted to. Both of their hearts were beating rapidly with fear and trepidation. Diggle was the one who spoke up as he could see the fear in his teammate’s eyes. ‘Why?’ he asked simply. He was referring to why they were targeting them but he received no answer, only an ice-cold stare which each member of the team received. ‘What happened to you? You two have already killed so many people since you came here, I can only imagine how many you’ve killed in your life. Thousands? How can you be so ruthless?’ Diggle asked bravely despite the pain he was suffering from.

Both Nyssa and Oliver smirked at that. ‘Nothing is true; everything is permitted’ Oliver said coldly and the two assassins then serenely walked out of the building, leaving Team Arrow stunned and scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been waiting 6 chapters to try and get that assassin's creed reference in and finally did it!


	7. The Aftermath

The journey back to the foundry was completely silent. Diggle looked like he wanted to speak but from the way his teammates looked, he decided it was best to wait until they were ready to talk. Diggle was under the assumption that Oliver Queen was dead just like the rest of the world, so it had come as a shock to find out that he was the one under the black hood. On the rare occasions that Shado or Sara did talk about Oliver, they described him as a talented archer but his skills in combat were far beyond talented and that scared Diggle. And then there was the woman who wore red and black, who now was identified as the wife of Oliver Queen. She was just as skilled, perhaps more so in some aspects of combat and this really worried Diggle. _We’re gonna need the Bratva. They will even the odds_ he thought.

They entered the side entrance to the foundry to find an anxious Felicity waiting for them. Every time she had tried to ask what happened over the comms, she received silence until Shado completely switched her comms. ‘Oh my god, are you three ok?’ she asked with concern in her voice upon seeing the state her team mates returned in.

‘Do we look okay?’ Shado retorted sarcastically. She made her way over to where she keeps her bow and placed it in its holder. She turned around to face Felicity with a sad look on her face. ‘I’m sorry Felicity, it’s just been a really tough night. Now let’s help Dig’. Felicity and Shado helped Diggle with the multiple arrows he had in him and once they had cleaned the wounds, they had told him to go home to rest.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Sara had immediately decided to go home, telling the team that what she wanted to wear was at hers and Shado’s apartment and that she would be back in half an hour. She wasn’t lying because back at her apartment she had one of Ollie’s hoodies back from before the Queen’s gambit went down. She decided to put it on as it felt appropriate considering about 45 minutes ago she found out a man she loved had survived. She had worn the hoodie numerous times since they had returned from five years in hell, every time was when she was thinking about Ollie and each time she admitted to herself she loved him and wishes she could’ve saved him like he saved her. _I’m not that person anymore and neither is he. He’s… he’s married._ Sara didn’t know what shocked her more, the fact that the mystery black hood guy is Oliver, or the fact Oliver, billionaire playboy, is now married.

* * *

 

Sara arrived back at Verdant, deciding that they needed to discuss what occurred earlier in the night. Felicity was sat on her seat by the computers whilst Shado sat on the table next to the computers so that she was facing Felicity. Both stopped their conversation and looked over to Sara when they noticed her enter the room. Shado knew that Oliver being the man under the hood was especially tough on Sara. She had known him the longest and he was willing get in front of a bullet for her, for both of them. Therefore knowing Oliver feelings towards them now pained them both.

 ‘So are we ready to discuss what happened out there tonight?’ Felicity asked, looking back and forth between Sara and Shado. She actually didn’t know what was going on as she couldn’t hear what Oliver and Nyssa had said. They both nodded and Sara made her way over to the computers, sitting next to Shado.

‘The man who has the black hood is Oliver Queen, the same Oliver we thought was dead’ Shado sighed, the emotion clear in her voice.

‘Hold up. I was expecting that when you told me who was under the hood everything would suddenly make sense but this just raises like a million new questions. Like…’ Felicity began but was cut off by a stern glare from Shado.

‘Don’t you think we know that? Everything we thought we knew about him is wrong’ Shado said angrily with her voice loud enough to make Felicity back away slightly.

‘I guess that’s a part of what he meant when he said nothing is true. Everything we thought we knew about Ollie isn’t true I guess’ Sara theorized. She was correct in her theory as none of them truly knew Oliver anymore. ‘But what about the everything is permitted part?’

‘That seems self-explanatory to me. Nothing is off the table for them. Literally everything is permitted’ Shado replied.

‘I wonder how Oliver knew about the book. I know you said he knew there were names in the book but he never knew what his father wanted him to do’ Felicity mused.

‘I honestly don’t know. It’s like you said Felicity, we have a million new questions and no answers. He said that the book is linked to this undertaking. That’s what we came back to stop, it has to be. Oliver’s given us something to go on, now it’s time for us to find out about this undertaking and stop it’ Shado said assertively whilst trying to show her teammates that they still gained something from tonight’s defeat.

Sara and Felicity nodded in response. Felicity was about to get up from her seat but Sara spoke again, determined not to end the conversation, which was focused on Oliver, just yet. ‘Is there anything you can remember, anything at all that could help us?’ Sara asked looking in Shado’s direction.

Shado thought deeply, replaying the battle she had with Oliver and then when he and his wife revealed who they were. Suddenly, some of it made sense to Shado and it brought a smile to her face which both Felicity and Sara caught. However, just as quickly as the smile appeared, it was replaced by a look of fear and her face paled.

‘No… no way’ Shado stuttered. She was in complete disbelief but it made sense and it was why they were so easily bested in battle.

‘What is it? Shado?’ Sara asked with concern written all over her face.

She was looking down at the ground but she raised her head so she was looking directly into Sara’s eyes. ‘His wife’ she began but she was finding it difficult to speak. After a few moments she continued. ‘She said she was the daughter of the demon. She said her surname was al Ghul. As in Ra’s al Ghul, leader of the league of assassins’.

The look on Felicity’s face was priceless because she didn’t really believe Shado but when she looked over to Sara and saw that she also had a concerned look, she realised maybe her friends are not joking. ‘Not to sound stupid, but what the heck is the league of assassins and please don’t say a bunch of assassins?’ worry quickly beginning to fill her voice.

‘They are an organisation whose sole purpose is to kill. They are ruthless warriors with no remorse. And now…now Ollie one of them’ Sara explained.

‘No! Not just one of them, he is the highest ranking member. He married the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul. Ra’s wouldn’t let just anyone marry his daughter and join his family, Oliver must have his respect which means if anything were to befall either of them, Starling City would be marked for death’ Shado said grimly.

‘So we can’t kill them then I guess but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring him back to us. It’s not too late’ Sara said hopefully. Felicity was about to point out that they couldn’t kill them even if they wanted to because of how outclassed they were but she held her tongue, not wanting to anger either of them because even though both are badly injured, they could still kick her ass in a matter of seconds.

Shado nodded in resignation as there really wasn’t another option. They had to bring Oliver back to their side. But first the undertaking that he had mentioned was the priority.

* * *

 

Thea was beginning to get worried about her upcoming trial concerning her DUI. She had never been to court where she was the one on trial. Every other time she had been were with Oliver. He always seemed relaxed and calm whilst Thea was always worried she was going to lose her big brother.

**8 Years Ago**

_It was the day of Oliver’s court hearing for a much publicized altercation with a member of the paparazzi. Moira Queen was furious with her son for getting himself in this situation in the first place and now he was going to be late. ‘OLIVER GET DOWN HERE NOW!’ she yelled. Oliver casually walked down the stairs to his family with an air of swagger._

_‘Calm down Mom, Oliver Queen is known to be fashionably late’ he said cheekily. This was clearly the wrong thing to say because Moira’s anger was almost palpable. Taking the hint Oliver walked out of the mansion and made his way to one of the cars._

_They arrived at the courthouse and it was surrounded by the media shouting questions at Oliver and his family. The sheer number of people and their aggressiveness was scaring a 9 year old Thea Queen. Oliver saw this and took his baby sisters hand in his and tried to protect her from the media. Once inside, she fell into his arms in a tight embrace. ‘Please Ollie I need you. I can’t lose you’ she said with tears beginning to form in her eyes._

_Oliver knelt down and wiped away her tears. ‘You’ll never lose me. It’s gonna be alright Speedy. Just wait and see’ Oliver said with a smile which eventually caused Thea to smile back._

Thea made her way down to the gardens of Queen Mansion and walked briskly over to the tombstone of her brother. _I really need you right now Ollie. Show me how to be strong like you were._ A tear rolled down her cheek when her phone rang. It was Laurel, who had taken up the role of older sibling like Shado and Sara have.

‘Hey, I know you’re scared so I was thinking maybe you could meet me and talk with this friend of mine. She was once in a similar to position to you so I thought this could help you’ Laurel said kindly over the phone.

‘Yeah, I’ll meet you at yours’ Thea replied and then ended the call. She sighed and gave the tombstone a final glance before heading back to the mansion in order to get ready to go to Laurel’s apartment.

* * *

 

Oliver and Nyssa were making their way back to their safe house via the rooftops of Starling City. Both were in a jovial mood even though they didn’t learn any new details concerning the undertaking. Oliver was happy because he finally revealed to Shado and Sara that he was alive. They finally knew who was coming after them and he knew that the events of the past hour would have a seismic effect on Team Arrow. Out of everyone possible, Oliver would’ve been the last person they would have thought is under the hood. _There must be so many questions going through their minds. We have them rattled and scared._ A small grin came to his face.

Nyssa meanwhile was ecstatic because she had easily outclassed one of her beloved’s former lovers. Outclassed would be an understatement but still, it was clear the girl had skill and definitely some potential. Nonetheless, Nyssa had decimated the blonde whilst showing her a glimpse of what the daughter of the demon could do. The same grin that was plastered on her beloveds face also appeared on hers.

They arrived back and were immediately met by two league members. The first was Amirah who had been training Aaliyah whilst they were away. ‘How was your mission?’ she asked receiving a smirk in response. ‘Aaliyah is resting but you two are right, she has undeniable potential. She will become one of the very best’.

‘That she will. If there’s nothing else you can call it a night’ Nyssa told the woman who was around 5 years older than herself. They were about to go over and check on Aaliyah when the other assassin, who Nyssa and Oliver had noticed was one of Ra’s horsemen, spoke up.

‘Ra’s al Ghul has requested your return to Nanda Parbat. Immediately’.


	8. Nanda Parbat

‘Why does my father wish for us to return to Nanda Parbat?’ Nyssa inquired with a confused look on her face whilst Oliver’s remained neutral. Nyssa knew that as her father had commanded their return, they would have to go back but she wanted to know why.

‘I do not know. He only sent me with that message’ Ra’s horseman replied.

‘Fine, I’ll get Aaliyah and then we shall go’ Nyssa said as she stepped forward about to go around the man.

However before she could go around him, he blocked her path. Oliver instinctively reached for an arrow after seeing someone get in the way of his wife. But before he pulled it out of his quiver, the man spoke. ‘No, the girl shall remain in Starling. Ra’s only wants the two of you’.

Oliver and Nyssa glanced at each other with confused looks, both wondering why Ra’s wouldn’t allow them to bring someone who had become their family. They both shrugged their shoulders and turned to leave the hideout.

Around half an hour later, they arrived at an abandoned airfield on the outskirts of Starling City. A plane was there awaiting for the arrival of the trio. Two members of the league were in the cockpit where they would fly them to Nanda Parbat. Along with Ra’s horseman, they entered the plane. Ra’s horseman took a seat near the front of the plane whilst Oliver and Nyssa went to the back of the plane so they could have some privacy. The plane took off, heading towards Nanda Parbat.

They sat down next to each other, both visibly tired from their night. They removed their quivers and placed it on the seats adjacent to them along with their swords and bows. ‘Do you think my father wants to discuss the mission we are doing in Starling or do you think it is something else?’ Nyssa asked whilst dropping her head to her husband’s shoulder.

‘I doubt it has something to do with Starling City, he sent us there to find out about the undertaking and stop it. This must be something else’ Oliver deduced. Nyssa nodded into his shoulder. Oliver looked down at her to see her eyes closed, almost asleep. He took her hand in his and rested his head on hers, as he too slowly fell asleep.

* * *

 

They arrived at Nanda Parbat and immediately went towards the main hall. Towards the back of the hall was a door which led to a hallway. At the end of the hallway was where Ra’s al Ghul was located, with his Lazarus pit. Oliver and Nyssa entered the room and saw Ra’s facing away from them.

He turned around and saw his heirs knelt down awaiting his command. He looked at Nyssa first and then Oliver. ‘My daughter, my son, welcome home. Arise’.  They both stood up with concerned looks on their faces, both still wondering why they are here.

‘Why are we here, father? What is it that you want?’ Nyssa asked bluntly, although a small smile appeared on her face as it had been awhile since she last saw her father.

Ra’s laughed slightly. The fiery personality that he loved about Nyssa was still ever present. He had feared that she would lose it if she ever let emotions such as love control her, just like it once happened to him. However, he quickly realised that his strength came from his cold-blooded personality and so he ignored emotions such as love. He did however show both of his daughters that he does care for them by personally training them since they were children, even if they didn’t realise that he indeed loved them. Instead of losing that fiery personality when she fell in love with Oliver, Nyssa became even more deadly and cunning because now she had something to live for.

* * *

 

_Nanda Parbat 2 and a half years ago:_

_In the large room that contained the Lazarus Pit, Ra’s and Nyssa were sparring. Ra’s had one hand behind his back, with his signature sword in the other, whilst Nyssa was circling him with her own sword trying to find an opening._

_Ra’s was finding it amusing that his daughter thought she could find a hole in his defence. He had enough of her patient approach and quickly sent multiple attacks her way with his sword. The speed of his attacks meant that Nyssa was having a hard time keeping up but for the moment she was hanging on. He twisted around, aiming his sword down towards her leg but she saw it just in time to block it. Just as quickly as he spun around, he brought the sword down towards her head with a number of heavy blows that she could barely block due to the sheer power in each swing. Whilst she held her sword in place protecting her head, she tried to kick Ra’s in the stomach in order to alleviate the pressure slightly but he simply side-stepped it. He stepped back slightly, allowing her to regain her stance before going on the offensive yet again._

_Nyssa knew that being on the defensive would likely lead to a mistake eventually. She knew that she needed to switch the momentum but she was having a difficult time just keeping up with Ra’s let alone think of attacking herself. Ra’s looked like he went for a stab with the sword towards her stomach but just as quickly as he went for the attack, he pulled back and spun around, gaining more power and went to slice Nyssa by her arm. Nyssa noticed this and she too spun around blocking the attack. As their swords clashed, Nyssa saw an opportunity for the first time. She went to punch him, but he brought up the hand that he had kept behind his back to block her punch._

_Nyssa was undeterred however, as she brought her leg forward so it was behind her fathers and shifted her weight forward, making him fall down. He rolled through the fall and immediately got back up with a grin on his face, outwardly showing for the first time the pride he has for his daughter. She grinned back at him, liking the feeling of being one step ahead of her father for once._

_However, the grin fell off Ra’s face as he became impassive yet again. Nyssa charged at her father with renewed vigour and the clashes of their swords pushed him back, although he was allowing her to push him back. He wanted to see her offensive skill and he had to admit it, she was very good but then again she had the best teacher. Nyssa heard the words Oliver had told her earlier in the day. ‘You need to know what you’re fighting for. When you know in your heart what it is you are fighting for, you’ll be unbeatable’ Oliver told her._

_Their blades continued to clash until Nyssa attempted a spinning kick to his head. He caught her foot, leaving her entire body in mid-air. With her other foot, she kicked him in the side of the head which caused him to release his grip on her and stagger back a few feet. She landed on the ground in a crouched position and immediately ran towards him again as he was momentarily stunned. She managed to knock the sword out of her fathers hand and when he turned his head towards her, he was met with her sword by his throat._

_He smirked at Nyssa and calmly said ‘Something has changed within you, my daughter. The fire within you burns brighter than ever. What has changed?’_

_‘Al Sah-Him’ she said fearlessly._

_‘I see. Perhaps I was wrong. For you, love makes you stronger, not weaker. You truly are the Heir to the Demon’ he said proudly. Ra’s then grabbed her sword with one hand, causing blood to spill from the cut the sword caused. He then kicked her leg from the side, sending her down to the floor. As she fell, he took her sword from her and then placed it at her throat. ‘But there’s a reason why I am still the Demons Head’ he said coldly. His demeanour changed and he smiled down to her whilst he turned the sword around so the hilt was facing her. Nyssa took the sword and then took the hand Ra’s was holding, in order to help her back to her feet._

_She faced him for a few moments, not particularly happy that he caught her off guard. However, she was shocked at his words and his acceptance of Oliver. There were truth in his words too, as it was the love she had for Oliver that made her stronger. She also understood what Oliver had told her earlier in the day. She was fighting for Oliver. Fighting so that she can have a future with him._

_Ra’s walked over to his Lazarus Pit and placed his hand in the water. It immediately healed his wound and he then turned around to talk to Nyssa once again. Nyssa was heading to the door to leave the room when Ra’s spoke. ‘I am proud of you, Nyssa’ he said softly. She stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder at him. He had a small smile and she returned it before heading off to find Oliver._

* * *

 

‘You are here because there is an issue I would like the two of you to deal with. You will learn about prioritising certain missions once you two are the Demons Head’ he said addressing his heirs. ‘However, first I would like to talk about Starling City’.

‘What about it?’ Al Sah-Him asked.

‘How has it been going?’ he replied.

‘We have made contact with the former friends of Oliver Queen. They have been useless so far in finding out anything’ Al Sah-Him replied.

‘Like the two of you then? Because from what I have heard you haven’t done anything to stop the threats that poison that city’ Ra’s said cynically.

Nyssa and Oliver both smirked and said ‘No’ at the same time. ‘We are not rushing into the situation without knowing everything. There is a reason why I named him Al Sa-Her, father and if he finds out we are hunting him, he will run and hide’ Nyssa said, to which Ra’s smiled and nodded. He was in fact hoping this was the reason why they had yet to make any major moves in Starling city and to know his heirs have been wise, makes him believe he definitely chose correctly.

‘And did you hear about what happened to the Triad?’ Al Sah-Him asked.

‘Actually I did. You two seemed to scare them again. Whispers have reached Nanda Parbat that Chien Na Wei will use the full force of the Triad to see you two dead. So when you return to Starling, you will unleash the League on them and end the Triad for eternity. Show them why we are the most feared warriors to have ever walked upon this earth’ Ra’s said, ending his little speech with pure disdain for the Triad. ‘Now on to why I summoned you. There is a man who is causing problems in Corto Maltese. He goes by the name, Larry Bolatinsky or Bolt as Interpol have named him. He has a high-tech suit which allows him to teleport and produce energy blasts. You need to end the threat that faces the people of Corto Maltese’.

‘So that’s why you didn’t want Aaliyah accompanying us? You feel this is too dangerous for her?’ Nyssa asked.

‘Yes. She’s just a girl. She is not ready yet. Now take whatever supplies you need and you will have three members with you. You leave by this time tomorrow’ he said effectively dismissing them. They bowed their heads and left, heading towards their room.  

* * *

 

They walked into their room with a feeling of happiness, finally being home after some time away. They missed their room because it is home whilst the place they stay in Starling doesn’t feel the same. Nyssa quickly changed out of her assassins outfit, into more casual clothing. As she changed into her tanktop and leggings, Oliver laid down on their bed admiring the view. Noticing him staring, she gave him a flirtatious grin. ‘Get changed beloved, we have some work to do before we leave’ Nyssa said.

Oliver sighed and changed into a t-shirt and jeans. Once ready, they moved down to where members of the league trained in different forms of combat. They entered a large room, where members were practicing archery. Nyssa and Oliver each picked up a bow and a single arrow. A man was about to shoot at the target but an arrow soared right past his ear, directly into the centre of the target. Before he could react another arrow flew past his ear, splitting the previous arrow straight through the middle. All of the members turned around to see the heirs to the demon and they all bowed their head in respect.

‘With practice, each of you will be able to do that’ Oliver said, indicating the two arrows that buried in the target’ Al Sah-Him said with passion in his voice as he was trying to inspire the new members of the league. They left the room to head outside to the grounds surrounding Nanda Parbat.

‘You may pick our team beloved, you have a greater eye for talent than I do’ Oliver said as they walked towards an area where hundreds of assassins were training.

‘Indeed I do’ she replied. They walked past some of the men and women training until Nyssa saw the three she wanted. ‘STOP!’ she yelled and immediately everyone stopped moving. ‘You three, meet us outside the gates tomorrow. You will accompany us in our mission’ she said, pointing to the three assassins in question.

They walked off and everyone resumed their training. ‘Well that was quick. I think we should pick out some extra weapons and relax. Maybe walk around the grounds or go down to the village’ Oliver said.

Nyssa nodded ‘Ok’. They walked to the other side of the castle where a lot of the explosive weapons are kept. As they are the highest ranking members of the league of assassins, they have the key to the door. Once they unlocked the door, they immediately found what they were looking for. They each took a number of explosive arrows and put them in their quivers once they got back to their room. After taking care of their weapon needs, the couple decided to take a relaxing stroll to a nearby village. They walked hand in hand to the village that was about 5km away and contained many of their friends. They caught up and chatted with some friends for hours until it was getting dark. They both knew they needed to be fully rested for the mission ahead so they walked back to Nanda Parbat.

They arrived back in their room and made sure all of the weapons were there, ready for the next day. Once that was taken care of, they both took a quick shower as it was quite hot throughout the day. After the long day, eventually the married couple ended up asleep in their bed in each other’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the amazing reviews. So the guy who’ll be the villain in the next chapter, I found that he was once part of the suicide squad and he has some cool powers so I thought I’d have him fight Nyssa and Oliver. Plus it’s a little break from Starling City.


	9. Corto Maltese

Oliver opened his eyes and saw Nyssa sleeping peacefully on his chest. He slowly extracted his body from hers, trying not to wake her up in the process. Once he was out of the bed, he got changed, brushed his teeth and headed down to the kitchens to get some food for himself and Nyssa.

He grabbed two plates of food and headed back to their room. On his way he crossed paths with the Demons Head. ‘Are you ready for your battle?’ Ra’s asked his son-in-law.

‘Of course. He will be dealt with swiftly’ Al Sah-Him responded.

‘Do not underestimate your opponent, Al Sah-Him. His suit gives him powers that will not be easy to beat. Both you and Nyssa will need to be near your best to win’ Ra’s warned. ‘Bring me back his head. I need to see the face of the man who has killed a number of innocent people’.

Al Sah-Him nodded and walked past Ra’s al Ghul. He walked into their room to find Nyssa awake and fully dressed, ready to leave. Oliver handed her a plate of food and they both ate their breakfast and chatted for a while. After they had finished, they left main castle with their three teammates and travelled to one of the leagues planes.

* * *

 

They arrived in Corto Maltese a few hours later and it was late evening by the time they got there. The league had information of some of Bolts previous attacks. Nyssa and Oliver decided to split up with Nyssa taking one of the assassins with her whilst Oliver took the other two. They decided to meet back at the plane in a couple of hours whilst also having the comms on just in case.

Oliver went to where one of the incidents occurred and Nyssa to another. Nyssa and her assassin arrived at a building where 6 people were killed by Bolt. They searched the area for any indicators of where he might have gone but after a while they found nothing. Not too far from their position was a police station and Nyssa decided that the assassin would go into the police station whilst she was on top of a nearby building providing cover and help if required.

Inside the assassin discovered some notes that contained exactly how he killed his victims. An energy blast through the chest was the cause of death for each of the deceased. The size of the hole that the energy blast caused got smaller and smaller per person. Nyssa realised that this must mean he expels a lot of energy initially but he cannot sustain it for long periods of time.

Once that piece of information was deciphered and fully understood by Nyssa, she decided that they got all they could from their area and it was time to reunite with Oliver to see what he found. It was at this moment that she heard Oliver barking orders through his comms with a slightly panicked voice. She was slightly worried as any partner would be but she had no doubt that Oliver would be fine.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Oliver and his two assassins entered a large building slowly with their arrows nocked. The darkness of the night provided good cover so that no locals spotted them as they entered. Inside, there was a trail of blood that led further into the building. The ground floor was open, whilst the above floors had surrounding rooms. The blood led up some stairs to the second floor. Oliver looked at each of the assassins and with his eyes, he directed them to get to the second floor from different directions whilst he went up the stairs.

The blood eventually came to a stop outside of a room and inside Oliver could just about hear the sounds of a muffled scream. He turned around and lifted his hand up to his teammates indicating for them to stay where they were in order to keep watch. He slowly and silently crept forward until he was right next to the door.

He kicked the door open and immediately fired two arrows at the thugs, killing them instantly. The room was dimly lit but he could easily make out all the people in the room. The other two pulled out their guns and began firing at Oliver, who ran behind a desk for cover. Both of the men ran out of bullets and it was at this point Oliver made his move. He got up and in one fluid motion he fired an arrow that went directly through one of the men’s head. Instead of going for another arrow, Oliver took a flechette he had on his forearm and threw it at the final man who was running towards him. The flechette went through his neck and he instantly fell to the floor with blood pouring out of his wound.

Oliver stepped over some of the dead bodies as he made his way over to the woman who looked to be in her early thirties. There was another body near her on the floor and was surrounded by a pool of blood. This was the body that provided Oliver with a path to this room. She looked understandably terrified as one nightmare just became another. With her captors dead, she didn’t know if this man, in a black hood that concealed most of his face, was her saviour or another nightmare. Her injuries were not too severe yet as the thugs were going to take their time getting answers out of her but that didn’t change the fact she was petrified of this new guy.  They had kidnapped her on the assumption that she had knowledge on one of people who had wronged Bolt in the past but they were mistaken as she genuinely knew nothing.

Oliver was now close to her so he grabbed a seat and sat directly in front of her. She had tears streaming down her face that was mixed with some blood. He spoke softly, trying not to scare her even more but his whole outfit wasn’t really working in his favour, ‘Why did these men take you?’ he asked.

‘I…I don’t know. They mentioned that I know someone that has wronged them in the past. Please just let me go! Please!’ she begged.

From the way she spoke and the look in her eyes, he knew she was telling the truth. ‘Do you know who these people are or who they worked for?’ he probed.

‘If I tell you, will you release me?’ she countered. He nodded in response. ‘I didn’t hear an actual name. All I got was the name Bolt. Some sort of codename I guess’. Oliver stood up and withdrew his knife. She paled as she saw the elegant knife and screamed. ‘You said you’d let me go!’ she cried with more tears rolling down her cheeks.

Oliver went behind her and cut her binds, thus releasing her. She sighed in relief and eventually stood up. She turned to face the man in the black hood but he was already on the move. She followed him out of the room and saw him looking around the building. She spotted two other people who were dressed all in black but their clothing was different to this guy. Oliver turned his head and spoke to her. ‘Will you be able to make it out of here unassisted?’ he asked. She nodded in response. ‘Ok. Go home, go to the hospital if you need to. I’ll deal with your Bolt problem’. She gave the man a final glance before she raced out of the building and got as far away as possible.

Back in the building Oliver was walking around, taking in his surroundings. He suddenly froze as he sensed someone behind him. He spun around and swung his bow at the man and hit him across the face, sending him back a few feet. The man was wearing a black suit with a lightning bolt going through a skull on his chest as well as a cowl to cover his face. Oliver stepped forwards a few feet and attempted to hit the man again with his bow but he disappeared and Oliver instantly knew this was the Bolt guy they were after.

‘MOVE NOW!’ Oliver yelled to his assassins and this is what Nyssa had heard over her comms. One of the assassins had a chance to move but decided to hold his position and let the man come so he could show him his skill in battle. Bolt appeared in front of him and fired his energy blast from his hands before he could even react. It went straight through his chest, leaving a massive hole. The assassin’s lifeless body dropped to floor with a thud.

The other assassin was on the other side of the room and he fired arrow after arrow at Bolt, but he had already teleported again meaning each arrow missed their target. Whilst the assassin was firing, Oliver was running down the steps and shouting at the assassin to run. Oliver made it halfway towards the exit when he heard the sound of the energy blast again. He looked up to see Bolt standing over another body. Oliver growled in annoyance. Two league members had been killed by this man and under league law, he shall suffer a horrific death as a punishment.

‘Why are you here in Corto Maltese? Why have you killed these innocent people?’ Oliver bellowed. Bolt powered up his energy blasts yet again and fired at Oliver but he easily avoided the blast as it had come from a distance.

‘Revenge’ he said simply.

Oliver noticed every time he disappeared, he closed his fists like one would if they were to punch someone. Bolt did that again and Oliver knew he was about to teleport again. Thinking on his feet, he threw a smoke bomb into the ground that initially exhibited a blinding light for a split second before a large amount of smoke was emitted. When Bolt reappeared, he was in the middle of the smoke and once it cleared, he was all alone in the building.

* * *

 

Oliver went back to the plane as it was where he and Nyssa had agreed to meet. Nyssa and the other league member were already there. Nyssa rushed over to Oliver as he walked over to them. ‘Beloved, are you ok? Where are the others?’ she asked, concern clearly written all over her face.

‘I’m fine. Those two idiots are dead’ he said bluntly not feeling sorry for them at all as he clearly instructed them to move/run but they didn’t. ‘I faced this ‘Bolt’ and his teleportation technique will be a problem. We’re going to have to be smart and outthink him’.

Nyssa nodded in response before sharing with him what she had found out. ‘As time passes, the power in his energy blasts falls. So we just outlast him and then make our move’ she explained.

‘Easier said than done’ he responded.

* * *

 

The three assassins were positioned on a rooftop next to the building that Bolt was located in. They looked at the building and could somehow just sense he was in there, waiting for them. ‘You will stay here and provide cover whilst Al-Sah-Him and I shall enter the building’ Nyssa ordered. The other assassin nodded before taking up his position to provide cover.

Oliver and Nyssa jumped over to the other building and entered it from the door on the roof. They crouched and looked down and saw Bolt standing in the centre of the ground floor, seemingly waiting for them to arrive. Oliver leaned in closer to Nyssa and whispered ‘I’ll take the other side of the room’. She turned her head to face his and nodded. They shared a quick kiss before Oliver moved down to lower levels and moved to the other side of the building.

Oliver reached the ground floor silently and was only 20 metres from Bolt. He looked up and saw Nyssa above on the first floor and she nodded to him. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver and aimed it at the head of Bolt. He fired it but before it hit its target, Bolt had teleported right behind Nyssa.

Nyssa eyes widened in shock when she witnessed the man disappear. Even though she heard he could do it, it wasn’t something you’d see every day, hence it shocked her slightly. She turned around facing Bolt, who had his hands charging an enormous energy blast. She placed her bow on her back and grabbed both of his wrists, trying to aim his hands to his face. She managed to get it towards his shoulder when Bolt couldn’t hold the energy blast any further and small part of the blast pierced his shoulder. With his strength waning, Nyssa pushed his wrists in the direction of his head and the energy blast got his right ear, immediately disintegrating it. He screamed in pain as his energy blast finished and running on adrenaline, he pushed Nyssa back, much to her shock, and she fell over the railing down to the ground level.

She landed in a crouched position and looked back up only to find no-one there. She turned around to Oliver but saw Bolt a few feet away from him with another energy blast ready to be fired, albeit a much smaller one. Oliver fired arrow after arrow but with his teleportation, he was able to avoid all of them.

Bolt fired the energy blast at Oliver from quite close range. He tried to avoid to but it grazed his shoulder rendering his arm potentially useless for remainder of the battle. He fell to the ground in a heap as another one hit him, this time in the stomach. This one didn’t have the necessary power to go right through someone but still enough for them to feel agonising pain. Bolt stalked forward and stood over Oliver’s body but to his surprise, Oliver just smirked at him.

Nyssa was frozen. She had just witnessed Oliver get hurt by this man but she couldn’t move and she knew exactly why. _Please be okay, husband._ Soon however, all she felt was rage and she walked towards Bolt determined to end his life in a most painful manner.

He had run out of energy so he had to fight Nyssa in actual combat and he was severely outclassed. She landed a number of punches and kicks all over his body as she screamed in anger at him. In a flash, she withdrew her sword and sliced his left forearm leaving it dripping in blood. Bolt was panting hard and he was trying to battle through all the pain. Nyssa continued to pummel him but then he vanished.

‘COME BACK YOU COWARD!’ she roared.

‘As you wish’ he whispered in her ear. He teleported away in order to retrieve a knife and now held it to Nyssa’s back. She elbowed him in the throat and rolled out of the way from the incoming arrow. From the corner of her eye she saw Oliver get to his feet and somehow he managed to find the strength to nock and fire an arrow.

 Bolt also saw the arrow and tried to teleport away. However, before he could the arrow pierced his stomach and he then disappeared. He reappeared where Oliver was previously, but as soon as the arrow was fired, Oliver had run over to Nyssa. This arrow was no ordinary arrow, but rather an explosive arrow. After a couple of seconds, the arrow exploded leaving Bolt in pieces but miraculously alive…for now.

Nyssa walked over to his body and told Oliver to lift him up. Over the comms, she told the other assassin to enter the building. With an icy glare, she brought her sword down on his neck, severing his head. ‘No-one hurts my husband’ she spat venomously.

She then addressed the other assassin. ‘Take the head back to the plane to show Ra’s al Ghul. We will be there shortly’. The man nodded and left with the proof that the mission was a success. She turned to Oliver and hugged him tightly, even though he was groaning in pain. She then stepped back and slapped him over the head. ‘Don’t come up with a stupid plan like that again! Really, what sort of plan starts with I’ll let him hit me!’ she shouted at him.

He grinned at her as she ranted at him. ‘You went along with it’ he pointed out.

She scoffed, ‘that was a mistake’ she said.

‘It worked though, he underestimated me. I’ll admit it hurt slightly more than I thought but I acted like I was dying to make him become cocky. Calm down, Nyssa it all worked out fine’ he said, trying to reason with her.

She gave him an innocent smile before punching him in the shoulder that was injured. He groaned in pain. ‘Now we are even, beloved’.

He glared at her but she continued to look at him with her innocent smile. After a couple of seconds, he smiled back at her, not being able to be mad at her for long, as they walked out of the building hand in hand. They arrived back at the plane, where Nyssa bandaged up the injured parts of Oliver’s body. Once they were ready, they flew back to Nanda Parbat in order to inform Ra’s al Ghul that the mission was a success.


	10. Vertigo

Back in Starling City, it had been an uneventful few days for the two vigilantes in terms of making real progress on the undertaking. They had crossed a few more names of the list, but then it was announced that Thea’s DUI would go to trial. The judge was making Thea the poster child for Vertigo and this made Sara and Shado reprioritise. They had been menacingly threatening local junkies and drug dealers about who was supplying them with Vertigo but so far they had yet to come up with even a name.

In the foundry, Diggle and Felicity were waiting for the other two to arrive back from another unsuccessful interrogation. They walked down the steps and Shado tossed her bow onto a table in frustration.

‘We’ve been trying to get information for days and we still have nothing. Thea won’t have long until there’s an actual trial and in the trial, she will definitely be found guilty. Maybe we should reach out to Ollie. It is his sister after all’ Sara exclaimed.

‘Even if we were to, how would we contact him? No, we need a different plan’ Shado said.  

‘I have a plan’ Felicity began. All eyes were on her and she continued ‘It might be crazy. In fact, it’s definitely crazy but so far all of these drug dealers seemed to be more scared of what this vertigo guy can do to them than you, so some must be lying’.

‘Are you going to get to your plan anytime soon?’ Sara interjected.

‘Oh right, yes. So I want you to make these people take a polygraph over the comms so I can tell if they’re lying’ Felicity said.

‘You’re right, that is crazy’ Shado said as she moved away from them to take a seat.

‘We have no choice but to trust Felicity’s crazy idea’ Diggle pointed out.

* * *

 

Back out on the streets, Sara and Shado found another drug dealer. As soon as he spotted the vigilantes, he bolted in the other direction. Shado calmly raised her bow and fired a bola arrow which tied cords around the man’s legs and caused him to fall. They walked up to him and Sara lifted him up and brought her bo-staff to his throat. With another arrow nocked and aimed at his head, Shado asked menacingly ‘Who is supplying you with Vertigo?

‘I…I don’t know. I’ve never met him’ the drug dealer said in a panicked voice.

_‘Ask him if his shoes are blue’_ Felicity said over the comms.

‘What?’ both Sara and Shado said simultaneously.

_‘I need to get a base-line so ask the question’_ Felicity explained.

Shado sighed but did what Felicity asked. ‘Are your shoes blue?’

‘What?...No’ the man stammered.

‘ _Ok, ask if he knows who the supplier is now in your angry Shado voice’_ Felicity said.

‘WHO IS SUPPLYING YOU WITH VERTIGO?’ she snarled as she pulled back her bowstring.

‘I…I really don’t know’ the man said untruthfully.

_‘You sit on a throne of lies’_ Felicity quipped.

‘What?’ Shado asked.

_‘The quote is from Elf. I watch it every Christmas. It’s hilarious’_ Felicity explained whilst Sara nodded in agreement to Shado. Shado just rolled her eyes and Felicity could sense it so she added _‘he’s lying. He knows something because there was a massive spike in the polygraph’._

Shado fired an arrow at the drug dealer and it went through his shoulder. The man screamed in pain, firstly from the arrow in his shoulder but then again as the crazy woman in the green hood pulled it out slowly which caused excruciating pain. ‘LAST TIME BEFORE THIS ARROW GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD. WHO IS YOUR SUPPLIER?’

‘The…The Count’ he said through painful gasps.

_‘He’s telling the truth. I’ll start researching The Count’_ Felicity said over the comms.

* * *

 

They entered the foundry and quickly made their way over to Felicity. They asked her if she had found any information on The Count, but so far she hadn’t had the best of luck. It was getting quite late and they all looked pretty tired.

‘I think we should call it a night guys. We at least made some progress tonight. Felicity continue looking tomorrow and if you can’t find anything, I think I have a plan but we’ll discuss it later’ Shado said tiredly.

Shado and Sara got changed and then all 4 walked up the steps and made their way out of the club. ‘Hey Sara, you used to do drugs right? Before you went with Oliver on The Queen’s Gambit’ Felicity asked.

‘Well I never did the really dangerous drugs but sometimes Ollie and I would smoke weed. Why?’ Sara responded.

Felicity grinned in response, ‘Well it’s just that I had an alternative plan if the polygraph plan didn’t work’. She took a moment to try and stop laughing and then in her best Ice Cube voice she said ‘infiltrate the dealers; find the supplier!’

They all laughed as they all had seen 21 Jump Street a few months ago. Sara put an arm around Felicity. ‘I love you, Smoaks. You’re hilarious’ Sara said still laughing.

* * *

 

Nyssa and Oliver arrived back into Nanda Parbat, where they were greeted by Ra’s at the entrance to the large castle. He was in his standard pose, where he stood up straight with his hands behind his back. His facial expression conveyed a look of intrigue. He had no doubt that this would be a difficult task if Bolt had hired mercenaries to help him but if he was on his own, he expected his heirs to deal with him. When he saw the three assassins return, he wasn’t surprised that not all of them came back alive but he was taken aback that Al Sah-Him looked wounded. He led them to the great hall, where he finally addressed them. ‘Successful mission?’ he asked.

Nyssa looked over to the only assassin that survived and nodded to him. He revealed the head of Bolt to Ra’s, whose reaction was a smirk. ‘Leave us’ Ra’s ordered to the man. He left the room, leaving only Ra’s, Nyssa and Al Sah-Him left. ‘Where are the other two league members that travelled with you?’

‘They couldn’t follow orders. As a result, Bolt killed them’ Al Sah-Him said.

Ra’s nodded his head. ‘These new recruits do not seem to have a true appreciation for who is in command. Perhaps I shall train some of these members for a period of time. They will then know who the Demon’s Head is and who his heirs are’. He looked over at Al Sah-Him and narrowed his eyes at his shoulder. ‘His energy attack?’ he asked.

‘Yes. You were right, that suit gave him ridiculous powers, but eventually he was no match for us’ Al Sah-Him responded.

‘What now, father?’ Nyssa enquired.

‘You shall go back to Starling City. You may spend a few days here to rest and recuperate. In fact, I have a gift for you. Follow me’ Ra’s said as he walked out of the room.  Nyssa was confused as apart from her wedding day, her father had never given her a gift.

He walked through the castle until he reached Nyssa and Oliver’s quarters. Their quarters were very large, the size of a penthouse suite. It had two floors, with their bedroom on the upper floor. Other rooms included a gym, a meditation room and multiple rooms where they train. As they entered, Nyssa could feel something was different and someone had been in here since she last was. The living room was very spacious and it was where Oliver and Nyssa could relax. Ra’s led them to the staircase and they came to a stop outside a room that contained nothing.

‘What’s going on?’ Nyssa asked.

Ra’s turned around and faced both of his heirs. ‘It wasn’t easy, but I have got you two a gift and it’s in that room. Getting it up those stairs was particularly difficult, but anyway it is in there’.

He stepped aside as Oliver and Nyssa walked into the room. They both froze as they saw a Lazarus Pit in the centre of the room. _Their Lazarus Pit._ Nyssa spun around quickly whilst Oliver’s eyes remained glued to the Pit. ‘You…You got us a Lazarus Pit? She asked disbelievingly.

He laughed slightly. ‘Since you were born I’ve had people searching for another Lazarus Pit. This one was found a few years ago and I was waiting for the right opportunity to present it to you. Talia got her own Pit when she deserved it and now the two of you have this one because you deserve it’.

‘Thank you’ she said, still surprised that they now had their own Lazarus Pit.

 ‘It looks like Al Sah-Him will be the first one to use this Pit’ he said whilst nodding towards Al Sah-Him. Nyssa turned around a noticed some more blood staining the bandage on his shoulder.

* * *

 

Ra’s left the room and heading back to the main hall. Even though he’s the most feared person on the planet, he still needs to train. He stepped into the room where there was 10 league members awaiting his command. 5 stood on each side as Ra’s stood in the middle of the room. He made a slight movement with the finger that holds the Demon’s Head Ring. At the movement, all 10 assassins charged forwards and swung their swords at Ra’s. He expertly dodged each of the 10 swords. After 60 seconds, none of the league’s assassins had touched Ra’s as he was far too quick for them. He grabbed the wrist of the next assassin that attacked him, twisting it sharply and breaking it. He then used his wrist to the direct the sword into the assassin’s heart. Withdrawing the sword, he moved with frightening speed and tore through the next 9 assassins in a matter of seconds. A pool of blood was left in his wake. As he passed the final assassin, he heard the assassin groan. Looking down, Ra’s saw the assassin try to move but suddenly he became still as Ra’s threw down the sword through the back of the assassin before walking out.

* * *

 

Back in Oliver and Nyssa’s chambers, Oliver was using the Lazarus Pit for the first time. He dipped a hand in the water and then brought it up to where his injured shoulder was and it immediately healed it. He did the same to his stomach. He turned around to find Nyssa just staring at him, still kind of surprised that her father would do this. ‘Well, it looks like we’ll be living for a very long time then like your father’ he said with a smile.

‘Hmm hundreds of years of being young and with you doesn’t sound so bad’ Nyssa said as she wrapped her arms around Oliver’s neck, bringing him down for a passionate kiss. He led her out of the Lazarus Pit room, lifting her up so her legs wrapped around his waist, and into their bedroom. They eventually broke the kiss as they quickly undressed each other before their lips were re-united once again.

A couple of hours later, they left their quarters and went to grab some food. After they ate, they relaxed for a while as they took a walk around the gardens of Nanda Parbat. ‘Do you think Sara & Shado found anything about the undertaking?’ Nyssa asked her husband.

‘Maybe. We’ll get answers sooner rather than later’ he assured her.

They relaxed for another couple of days, whilst also helping out with other league matters before it was time to head back to Starling City. The league members in Starling City had been searching for information for Al- Sa-Her but had yet to find him. Ra’s had only given Nyssa and Oliver the name Al Sa-Her and not his real name, believing it to be a good lesson for them to figure it out for themselves. Nyssa had been young when she had given Malcolm Merlyn the name _Al Sa-Her_ and hence she doesn’t really remember him too well. In addition, they did not have much contact in the two years that he was a member of the league, therefore it is understandable why Nyssa does not remember him.

* * *

 

The next day in Starling City brought Felicity no closer to finding out who The Count was or where he was. In the foundry, Felicity was working really hard but so far to no avail. Shado arrived in the lair, having just concluded her meeting with the Bratva. She had convinced them to set up a meeting with The Count as she said she wanted to sell Vertigo in her club.

‘Meeting is set up for tonight. We go there as ourselves and find out who The Count is. We place a tracker on him and then we bring him to justice’ she said.

Unbeknownst to Shado, Thea had tailed her all the way to the location of her Bratva meeting. She had realised that Sara and Shado had been acting extra weird since it was announced her case was going to trial. He had overheard Sara say over the phone that they were willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Thea is not sent to prison for her crimes. Laurel had got her a community service deal but she had rejected it. She was interested in seeing what Sara and Shado would do to protect her. She overheard that Shado had set up a meeting with The Count for tonight and she decided she would be there too.

* * *

 

Darkness descended upon Starling City and Thea, ironically dressed in a black hoodie, followed Sara, Shado & Diggle to the meeting place. She stayed a safe distance away from them so neither Team Arrow, the Bratva nor The Count realised she was watching.

‘Why should I give you my product?’ The Count asked.

‘We’re opening a nightclub and I want to offer our customers something different’ Sara replied.

’56 people died to perfect this high’ he said with manic glee before handing Sara a packet of Vertigo. ‘Your club is about to get a lot more popular’.

Then from out of nowhere, multiple Triad members burst onto the scene including their most dangerous member; Chien Na Wei. Thea looked on in horror as her friends were surrounded by the Bratva and Triad! The sound of multiple sirens could be heard nearby and everyone looked at each other with mistrust as they all bolted in separate directions.


	11. Rage

Thea saw everyone running away as the SCPD arrived at the scene. She looked over in the distance and spotted detective Lance. _Shit_ she thought as she knew that the detective hated her family and would love the opportunity to arrest her. She made a run for it in the general direction that Sara, Shado  & Diggle were running in. They were actually heading in her direction, so she spun around and ran for it, not realising that one of The Count’s men and Chien Na Wei were also running in that direction.

Team Arrow were running after The Count’s goon, hoping to take him down and with a bit of luck, find The Count’s location. Chien Na Wei was also running after The Count’s guy as she didn’t like how his Vertigo business was affecting the Triad’s drug business and she didn’t like sharing the market. She reached him and tripped him over and was about to strike him. But before she could, the psychopath began to laugh manically due to the vertigo he had taken. ‘Turn around’ he said with a wide smile. She was weary of this crazy guy but she turned around anyway to see a young girl running towards her. She looked back down and struck him in the heart with her knife. A syringe of vertigo had fallen out of his pocket when he had fallen over. She stood up and as the girl ran towards her, she grabbed her and injected the vertigo into her. ‘No witnesses’ she hissed before disappearing into the night.

Thea staggered back a few metres before she fell on the floor shaking. Team Arrow ran up and looked on in shock. They didn’t understand why Thea was even here, but she needed medical care urgently. Diggle pulled the syringe out of Thea’s chest and gave to Shado before he picked the girl up.

* * *

 

They took Thea to the foundry and laid her on a table. She was still shaking and everyone had concerned looks on their faces. Shado raced around the room, getting the special herbs from Lian Yu and mixing it with water. Diggle and Sara held Thea down as she screamed, whilst Shado poured the mixture of herbs and water into Thea’s mouth. She continued to scream before shortly passing out.

‘Is she going to be okay?’ Felicity asked from her seat in a panicked tone after around 10 minutes of silence.

‘She didn’t get hit by a full dose and those herbs have the ability to counteract some drugs. I think she will be okay. Felicity, I want you to take this syringe of vertigo and go to QC’s applied sciences and find an antidote’ Shado said, handing the syringe to Felicity.  

‘Ok’ she said as she got up and left the foundry.

‘What do we do now? The plan failed because of the Triad’ Diggle said.

‘Thea is our main concern but we can’t let her wake up and find all this. So we need to take her back to our apartment. No matter what she cannot learn about who we are’ Sara said.

* * *

 

Oliver and Nyssa arrived back to their base in Starling. As they entered they spotted Aaliyah, who was sitting by some of the computers wearing her league of assassins armour. They put their bows and quivers in their glass case. Aaliyah immediately stood up and rushed over to the pair. She looked very sad, perhaps she had even shed a tear or two, Nyssa thought.

‘What’s wrong?’ Nyssa asked.

‘I’m sorry Al Sah-Him. I..I couldn’t stop someone from injecting Thea with some drug. I’m so sorry’ Aaliyah said trying to hold back her tears.

Oliver’s face had a look of pure anger and hatred. The hatred was for whoever hurt his sister. It was frightening to Aaliyah and she was scared at how he would react. His breathing became unstable and his rage was tangible. Aaliyah was about to speak again but Oliver cut her off with a glare. ‘HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?’ he shouted directly at her.

The poor girl was clearly distraught and Nyssa put an arm around trying to comfort her. She just kept apologising to Al Sah-Him but he wasn’t interested in apologies. ‘WHERE IS SHE?’ he yelled, standing over her.

‘Your former friends took her’ she whispered.

Oliver’s still looked furious but deep down he was slightly relieved as he knew they would help her. ‘Why was she even there?’ he asked in an ever so slightly calmer voice.

‘She followed Sara and Shado as they were having a meeting with the man who is producing vertigo’ she said.

He spun around and stalked out of the base. Aaliyah and Nyssa ran after him but he didn’t turn around for them. ‘What about your bow and arrow?’ Aaliyah asked.

‘I don’t need them’ he murmured. He walked at such a pace that Nyssa and Aaliyah were struggling to keep up. He noticed they were still following and he sighed in frustration. ‘Go back! This is something I need to do alone’ he said with such venom that Nyssa immediately grabbed Aaliyah’s hand and dragged her back. Nyssa understood why Oliver was so angry and why he was acting like he was so she decided to let him go and wait for his return.

* * *

 

Aaliyah raced back inside of their base with Nyssa following her. She could tell that the girl wanted to be alone but she wasn’t going to let her be in pain alone. Nyssa sat down across from her and took her hands in her own, causing Aaliyah to lift her head and look at her. Sadness was radiating from her body and Nyssa could feel it.

‘What happened isn’t your fault, little sister. You can’t blame yourself’ Nyssa said trying to assure her protégé that everything will work out fine.

‘Al Sah-Him blames me! You saw how he reacted’ Aaliyah said sadly.

‘No. Look at me! No, he does not blame you. He was angry and didn’t react well and I will talk to him about that but he will not blame you. Remember, you’re his little sister too and had this been the other way around, he would be fiercely protective of you too’ Nyssa promised her.

‘Now, follow me’ Nyssa said as she led Aaliyah into one of the training rooms. Just inside the room there was a sword rack with a number of different types and shapes of swords. ‘Pick a sword’

Aaliyah walked over to the swords and examined a few and checked some of the weights of the sword. She found one that was perfectly balanced for her and then turned around to Nyssa. Nyssa was standing in the middle of the room, with her sword in her right hand ready to battle. ‘Let your frustrations out on me. Fight me, little sister’ Nyssa commanded.

Aaliyah smirked. ‘You asked for it…sister’. Aaliyah stepped forward twirling her sword in her hand as she approached Nyssa. She lunged at Nyssa who effortlessly sidestepped her and landed a hit to Aaliyah’s arm with the side of her blade.

‘Had that been a real fight, your arm would now be useless. Don’t force the situation. Wait for an opportunity to present itself’ Nyssa advised.

They circled each other, looking for a way past each other’s defence. Nyssa was the first to see an opportunity and went on the offensive. Aaliyah just managed to get her blade up in time to time block Nyssa’s attacks. Nyssa was constantly switching up the pace of her attacks, but Aaliyah’s defence remained strong. The blades continued to clash with neither managing to gain the upper hand.

A slight slip by Nyssa allowed Aaliyah to push Nyssa back and one of her attacks managed to land on Nyssa. Her sword barely touched Nyssa’s face but it was enough to produce the slightest of cuts where a tiny amount of blood came out. Nyssa didn’t notice it but Aaliyah did and her smile widened as she managed to actually land a strike on her mentor.

‘Shall we fight properly now?’ Nyssa asked.

The smile immediately fell from Aaliyah’s face as she realised Nyssa was toying with her. The speed of Nyssa’s new attacks were too quick for her. She managed to block the first few but then she couldn’t keep up at all. Nyssa did a leg sweep, which sent Aaliyah down to the ground. As she fell, she lost her grip on her sword and it was caught by Nyssa. She placed both swords by her throat in an ‘x’ position. ‘Yield’.

Aaliyah sighed and then nodded as Nyssa removed the swords and helped her onto her feet. ‘You got too arrogant’ Nyssa explained and when she saw the disappointed look on Aaliyah’s face she continued. ‘It’s not a bad thing. Al Sah-Him did the exact same thing as you when we first sparred. You are very talented and you’ll become one of the best members of the league in the future’ Nyssa assured her.

The smile returned to Aaliyah’s face as she hugged Nyssa and whispered ‘thank you’. They both walked back to the main part of the base, awaiting the return of Oliver.

* * *

 

 

He was walking through the Glades with a purpose and soon he found what he was looking for. In the distance, there was around 10 people gathered around a couple of guys who were clearly drug dealers. Oliver walked up to the group and grabbed the shoulder of the first guy he saw and spun him around. He punched him in the jaw, knocking him out in an instant. The other nine junkies rushed at Oliver with a range of weapons but he disarmed every single one. A kick to the side of one guy sent him to his knees before a punch to the face knocked him out. Another rushed him but Oliver used his momentum against him. He hooked his arm and flipped him over with an arm drag and kicked him in the face as he was on the floor. All of the rest ran away as they saw what this guy in the black hood could do. The only two who were left now were the drug dealers.

The two drug dealers looked terrified, especially when they saw the cold look in the man’s eyes. Oliver stalked over to them and grabbed one by the throat, lifting him in the air. ‘WHO SUPPLIES YOU WITH VERTIGO?’ he said menacingly.

‘i..i don’t know’ he said as he coughed, barely being able to breathe.

‘That’s a shame’ Oliver sneered. He released his grip on his throat and as he fell, Oliver grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder onto the ground. He never let go of the arm and as the drug dealer fell to the ground, Oliver went to the floor with him. He wrapped his legs around the arm and hyperextended it into an arm bar. The arm bar broke his arm in seconds and he screamed in pain as Oliver refused to let go.

The other dealer tried to attack the black hood in order to release his friend but Oliver saw the attack coming and released his hold. He stood up and swayed out of the way of a few punches by the man. He caught the next punch with his hand and twisted the arm so that it bent behind the man’s back. He groaned in pain but this just caused Oliver to tighten his grip. ‘Same question’ Oliver said.

‘Look, I have never met him. He doesn’t deal with us directly. You have to believe me!’ the drug dealer begged.

‘I believe you’ Oliver whispered as he released the man. The drug dealer sighed in relief but as he turned around, a sword pierced his chest directly into his heart. ‘That’s for my sister’ Oliver said before walking past him as he fell to the floor.

Oliver looked between his bloody sword and the other drug dealer, who was still on the floor in severe pain and was looking at him with fear. He walked over to him and placed his sword at his throat. 'Why so serious?’ he questioned. There was a period of silence before Oliver spoke again ‘Find a new job or I’ll be back and you won’t like the consequences.’

Parts of Oliver’s hood were covered in blood from all the people he had just beaten up as well as the blood for the man he stabbed through the chest. There was also some blood covering the lower half of his face, all from his opponents. He wiped most of the blood on his face with his sleeve before he headed towards Verdant.

* * *

 

Team Arrow minus Felicity were in the foundry, ready to move Thea to Shado and Sara’s apartment. She was still unconscious as the herbs from Lian Yu did their job. Suddenly there was a loud bang and the rear door was open with a dark figure standing at its entrance. Sara and Shado glanced at each other before getting into a fighting pose. Diggle had pulled out his gun and had it aimed at the head of the man in the black hood.

In a blur, Oliver had pulled out a flechette and threw it across the room, knocking the gun out of Diggle’s hands. All three members were looking behind them at the gun stuck to the wall with a flechette through the middle. That was their first mistake as Oliver seized the opportunity by running towards them, jumping over a table and landing a superman punch across the jaw of Diggle. The impact made him tumble over to the ground.

Oliver turned his attention to the other two as he lowered his hood. ‘Why did you bring my sister here? She can never know your secret’

‘The herbs from Lian Yu were here. We had no other choice’ Shado snapped back. Oliver nodded in understanding. ‘Why are you covered in blood?’

‘Paid a visit to some vertigo dealers. Now, as to why I’m here and why I’m furious with the two of you’ he began as he inched closer to them. ‘My sister followed you to a meeting with the supplier of vertigo’ he snarled. ‘HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS’ he roared losing all restraint he had as over his shoulder, he saw the unconscious body of his baby sister.

He threw a couple of punches towards Sara but she managed to deflect them. Sara and Shado then advanced on Oliver at the same time, trying to subdue him in order to explain the situation to him. All of their attacks were parried by Oliver. He swerved out of the way from one of Sara’s kicks and landed a straight right hand to her jaw, which sent her tumbling. As he landed the punch, Shado attempted her own kick on Oliver but he caught it in his hand. He swung her around and threw her into Diggle, who was just getting up.

‘YOU COULD’VE GOTTEN HER KILLED!’ he exclaimed as he lifted Sara into the air before kneeing her in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of her. He tossed her to the ground as he headed back to Shado’s direction.

‘Please Oliver listen’ Shado begged.

He laughed coldly. ‘You think you have the right to ask something of me? You stay back or I will not hesitate to kill you’ he said aiming the last part at Diggle. He turned to Shado once more but then he heard a groan and turned around immediately. He saw his sisters eyes open slightly as she looked over in his direction. Oliver had a look of shock but that quickly turned to happiness as he saw that his sister was ok. She only looked at him for a couple of seconds before she passed out again. He ran over to her, taking her hands in his. ‘What’s happening? Why did she pass out again?’ he asked desperately.

Diggle walked over cautiously, as he was wary of being killed by the assassin. He checked on Thea and was relieved when she was ok. ‘She’s fine’ he said which made Oliver sigh in relief.

‘You need to take her to your home’ he said to which Shado and Sara nodded. ‘This isn’t over. Far from it but my sister comes first and she cannot know that you’re the vigilantes’.

He turned around and headed for the exit but stopped when Sara placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘Ollie, wait. I know you’re still in there. The Ollie I knew. Come back to us. Please’ Sara pleaded.

He turned and looked her directly in the eye. ‘I am not the Oliver you remember; he died on Lian Yu’ he said coldly.

He turned to leave again but she held onto his hand. He looked down to her hand and his face conveyed an emotion that looked like _do you have a death wish._ He sighed as she wasn’t going to let him leave without saying something else. ‘What?’ he asked.

‘The triad were the ones who interrupted our deal. And Chien Na Wei was the one who injected Thea with the vertigo. I know you want to kill everyone involved with vertigo but you need to take out the Triad and Chien Na Wei first’ Sara said.

Oliver took a moment to think before a smile appeared on his face. ‘Thank you for the information and you are right. Triad comes first, then vertigo’.

‘Team-up?’ Shado asked hopefully.

‘No, you focus on the undertaking. I will be away for a few days and when I return, my assassins and I will obliterate the Triad. No-one touches Chien Na Wei or you will die. Her death will come by my sister-in-laws blade. Do you understand?’ Oliver said warningly.

They all nodded. ‘So that’s where you’re going? To get your sister-in-law? Didn’t think you would ask others for help’ Shado said.

‘I don’t need her help but even though Chien Na Wei did this to Thea, unfortunately I will not be the one to kill her. I keep my promises’ he began. ‘I promised my sister-in-law, Talia al Ghul, that she would be the one to kill Chien Na Wei and I have no intention of breaking that promise to her’. He left the foundry, with each member of Team Arrow silently wondering if he really would massacre the Triad and also wondering just how dangerous this Talia al Ghul is.

Very is the answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the amazing reviews! So, Oliver lost his cool in this chapter but nothing he did was against the leagues code as he didn’t kill anyone who was innocent as the drug dealer was definitely not innocent. But Nyssa will address the way he reacted in the next chapter and once again we shall see the cool, calm and collected Oliver. Anyway thanks again for reading and giving great reviews!


	12. The Daughter of the Demon

Team Arrow moved in unison as they cleaned up the foundry. There was only a small amount of damage where Oliver had thrown around the members of Team Arrow into various pieces of equipment. There were no major injuries this time around as he wasn’t actually there that long but they all will end up with some bruises tomorrow. Oliver anger subsided the moment he saw Thea awake and he realised that now was not the time to punish Team Arrow. He needed to allow them to move her so she didn’t find out they were the vigilantes. As he was leaving, he was thinking how to get to the manufacturer of vertigo but it was at that moment that Sara revealed who was responsible for Thea’s current condition. For once, he was thankful of Sara because she showed him who he really needed to go after and it would mean a team-up with his sister-in-law as she had unfinished business with the Triad and in particular Chien Na Wei.

Luckily, Thea didn’t wake up before they had transported her to Sara & Shado’s apartment. They laid her down on Sara’s bed before moving into the living room to discuss how they were going to explain what Thea saw. They all sat down on the couch minus Felicity as she was still at Queen Consolidated trying to find a cure to the vertigo.

‘So, we need to get our stories straight’ Sara began. ‘She saw us in the foundry with the black canary outfit and arrow outfit in the glass cases. She saw her brother…her dead brother who was covered in quite a bit of blood. Hmmm it will not be easy to lie our way out of this one’.

‘Maybe we don’t come up with a lie’ Diggle stated.

‘What do you mean?’ Shado asked.

‘If she remembers what she saw, which by the way is a big if because that was a large drug overdose, we let her think that it was the drugs making her hallucinate. Technically we’re not lying to her because I’m sure the vertigo distorted what she saw anyway’ Diggle said.

‘Hmm, that could work. Let’s see what she remembers and then wing it. All my best ideas come when I am improvising’ Sara said seriously which made Shado snort.

* * *

 

It was early in the morning when Thea finally woke up but she could barely move. She made it out of Sara’s bed but as soon as she tried to walk, she fell to the ground. As walking was too difficult, she crawled out of the room and found Sara and Diggle on the couch whilst Shado was making breakfast. When everyone saw Thea, they all rushed over to her and helped her up onto the couch.

Her face conveyed a feeling of confusion as she didn’t remember coming to Sara & Shado’s apartment. _In her mind, parts of the previous night flashed before her such as when a woman with white hair injected her with a drug she thinks is vertigo. The next image was her writhing around as Diggle tried to help her. The final image was of some place that held computers and lots of equipment. She saw the vigilantes outfits and then she…she saw him. Her brother. He was dressed entirely in black and had his hood down. She saw_ _a sword in its holder strapped across his back and some blood over his clothing. He looked a slightly older but that was to be expected after 5 years or maybe it’s the short beard he had. He had short hair on the sides with the top spiked up slightly. He looked at her the way she imagined she would look if she was reunited with him. Then suddenly everything went black._

’Oh my god, Ollie where is he?’ she asked, looking at everyone in the room.

They all looked at each other and there was a moment of silence until Sara spoke. ‘Thea, why do you think Ollie is here?

‘I saw him! And I saw…you, all of you. You’re the vigilantes!’ she exclaimed.

‘What? No! Look, we had a meeting with the man who created vertigo. We wanted to see what he looked like to help the police catch him and hopefully take the heat off of you. Then all hell broke loose and we ran and we saw a woman inject you with vertigo. We then brought you here and I gave you some herbs from the island because they can counteract drugs. I think you must’ve imagined it, Thea’ Shado explained.

‘But…but it felt so real’ she said as a few tears fell from her eyes.

Sara sat down next to her and hugged her tightly. ‘I know’ she said as she allowed the teenager to cry into her shoulder.

‘It’s understandable why you saw Oliver when you were basically very high. He’s the most important person in your life. Subconsciously, you’ll always think of him’ Shado told her and mentally thought _Oliver better tell her that he’s alive. The girl needs her brother._ ‘Oh and by the way, don’t think you’ve gotten away with putting yourself in danger like that. When you recover, you’re going to be in some serious shit’.

* * *

 

Oliver was making his way back to the leagues base and was already formulating multiple plans and strategies to take down the Triad. His thoughts turned to his sister and he knew sooner or later he would have to let her know that he was alive. Furthermore, when he let her know that he’s alive, he would have to explain who he is now. He couldn’t lie to her. He just hoped that she accepted him for who he was now. He was also looking forward to the moment he introduced Nyssa to Thea as he’s sure that they’ll love each other. _Hopefully._

As he moved across the rooftops, he paused as he remembered what part of the city he was in. In the distance, he saw Laurel’s apartment and you could see the lights on. He silently apologised to her for everything he did and then he moved on, quickly making his way across the city.  

He walked into the leagues base and saw a lot of the assassins were busy. Not all of them were here to assist Oliver and Nyssa as some had their own tasks that they were doing but were using the main base for its resources. He spotted Nyssa and Aaliyah talking to each other and walked over to them. He knew he owed Aaliyah an apology but when his sister is in danger, his reaction was kind of understandable.

‘Hey’ he said as the two women looked up at him. They saw he was covered in blood which caused Nyssa to immediately stand up and check on him.

‘What happened? Are you ok? Is Thea ok?’ Nyssa asked without pausing to let Oliver reply.

‘I went after drug dealers who sell vertigo. It’s their blood so I’m fine. Thea will be ok’ he replied.

‘Your anger today, I get that it was because of Thea but is part of it because of the Lazarus pit?’ Nyssa asked.

‘No, it was all because of Thea. I talked to your father about the side-effects of the pit. Our Lazarus is brand new, so it hasn’t been used before. There are no souls of previous users to affect us. There are no side-effects. I was just scared for my sister and that turned to anger’.

Nyssa laughed slightly which caused Oliver to raise an eyebrow at her. ‘That last part just reminds me of when you showed me Star Wars. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering’. She placed a hand on his cheek as she said ‘It’s ok to be angry sometimes as long as you don’t let the anger and darkness consume you’.

‘Never’ he replied matter-of-factly. ‘I feel like meditation helps though. It helped when we first met and although I’m not angry as I know Thea is ok, I think it’ll help’. Nyssa nodded in response and gave him a hug that he returned.  They broke apart and Oliver moved over to Aaliyah. ‘Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?’

‘Yeah’ she said as they went into an unused room to speak privately. She was nervous and was playing with her hands as she looked down at the ground. She didn’t know how this would go. She could clearly tell that Al-Sah-Him had calmed down now that he knew that his sister was safe _. But she was only in danger because I didn’t react in time._ He meant a lot to her so she was hoping he could forgive her.

‘I’m sorry’ Al Sah-Him said which made Aaliyah look up from the ground and look him in the eyes. She was confused as she didn’t know what he was apologising for. She was the one who failed to protect his sister. ‘I got angry at you and it wasn’t your fault’. She tried to cut in but he knew she would. ‘No. it is not your fault. I’m sorry if I scared you. I..I just want you to know that if it was you that was hurt, I would’ve reacted the same way. You mean a lot to me, you’re another little sister and I hope you can forgive me’.

Aaliyah beamed at him and hugged him tightly. Once he had freed his arms, he returned the hug. ‘You mean a lot to me too, Al Sah-Him’ she said.

‘I think when it’s just you and me or you, me & Nyssa you can call me Oliver’ he said.

She looked at him with wide eyes as only Nyssa called Oliver by his real name. She nodded and he kissed her on the forehead before they walked out. Aaliyah went back to Nyssa whilst Oliver went to get changed, have a shower and wash his clothes to get rid of the blood. He soon came back up with a bag packed with his backup outfit, which is actually just almost identical to his normal one but had a few red lines on it as a design.

‘Sara said that Chien Na Wei was the one who injected Thea with vertigo’ Oliver began but before he could reveal his plan, Nyssa spoke.

With joy filling her voice she said ‘So we obliterate the Triad?’ whilst smirking at him.

‘Of course. But first there’s something we have to do’ he replied.

Nyssa nodded in understanding whilst Aaliyah looked on confused. At her confused look, Oliver elaborated. ‘We made a promise to Talia, Nyssa’s older sister, that she would be the one to kill Chien Na Wei. So we need to go and bring her here’.

‘Ah ok’ she said in understanding. ‘I’ll wait here for you two to return’.

Oliver and Nyssa looked at each other and had another one of their silent conversations. ‘You’re coming with us’ Nyssa stated.

* * *

 

It had been a long journey which was slowed down by large amounts of snow but at the top of mountain, they found the monastery that belonged to Talia al Ghul. It was the first time any of them had come here as usually it was Talia visiting Nyssa and Oliver in Nanda Parbat. She had left Nanda Parbat as she wanted to forge her own path and train her own students. Her father had allowed this but in times of need, she would become a member of the league again. Her allegiance would always be to the League of Assassins. She had in her possession her own Lazarus pit, which meant that all the members of her family had their own pit which will allow them all to live for hundreds of years.

The trio walked up to the entrance and pushed open the door. They walked inside and saw a number of Talia’s students training. Some of the students noticed them and approached them. ‘Summon your mistress’ Nyssa ordered.

‘Who are you?’ one of the students said in a hostile tone.

‘Family’ Nyssa responded calmly.

‘I’ve never heard anything about her family’ she responded and prepared to fight the three intruders. Oliver and Nyssa sighed at their stupidity as around 10 of Talia’s students rushed them. Aaliyah took down the two that approached her. She easily avoided their attacks and stuck them when they were left open. When she looked up to see how Oliver and Nyssa were doing, she saw all the remaining students on the floor. They hadn’t hurt them as these were Talia’s students but they had put them in their place.

They stood up, ready to attack the trio again when they heard their mistress shout ‘Leave us’. Talia walked down the stairs to her sister and brother-in-law. ‘Welcome, sister, Oliver. And who might you be?’ Talia said looking over to Aaliyah.

‘This is Aaliyah’ Oliver said introducing the young woman. ‘She’s a part of our family now’. Talia nodded and politely greeted her.

‘Now, what brings you here?’ Talia asked.

‘Two years ago, we made you a promise. The Triad are in Starling City. The time has come to obliterate them…Chien Na Wei is there too’ Oliver said.

She smirked whilst she looked at Oliver. ‘Finally’.

* * *

 

_2 Years Ago:_

_Oliver and Nyssa had been sent by Ra’s al Ghul to assist Talia in Shanghai. Talia was panicking and scared as the Triad had kidnapped her 10 year old son, Damian al Ghul. The Triad had found out that a contract had been set upon them and a senior figure in the league of assassins had taken the contract. The contract was for the head of Chien Na Wei, the most feared member of the Triad. She knew that she couldn’t face Talia al Ghul in open combat as that would end in her death._

_Thus, she had kidnapped the assassin’s son in order to use him as leverage. She was holding him in building near the coast in the east of Shanghai. Oliver, Nyssa & Talia had located the building that Damian was in and began to execute the plan they had created. Oliver and Talia had entered the building from the roof, taking down multiple Triad members with ease. They showed no mercy and killed each one of them. Nyssa entered the building from the ground floor. She too encountered many members of the Triad but she too showed no mercy. _

_Chien Na Wei was panicking and confused. She held the son of Talia al Ghul and therefore she believed that Talia would try and negotiate the release of her son. That was her plan when she kidnapped the boy but instead three of the deadliest assassins in the world were tearing the Triad to shreds. As she was watching through various cameras in the building, a plan formed in her head._

_Nyssa, Oliver and Talia met up but were met by more Triad goons. Talia heard the voice of her son and instantly moved in that direction, whilst Oliver stayed with Nyssa to dispatch the Triad. ‘Go, beloved! I have this under control. Help my sister!’ Nyssa said whilst she was taking down a number of opponents._

_Oliver ran after Talia but when he found her it was too late. Chien Na Wei had struck a knife through the heart of Damian. Oliver looked on in horror whilst Talia fell to her knees. The world stopped moving for her and it seemed like it was an eternity before it started moving again._

_‘That contract that was placed on me and my organisation? The debt is settled’ Chien Na Wei proclaimed._

_Oliver fired 3 arrows in rapid succession but Chien Na Wei had already jumped out of the window and had got to the ground. Talia got up and fired an arrow out of the window, allowing her to get to the ground with Oliver doing the same. With both now outside the building, they searched for Chien Na Wei and found her on a boat that was just about to move. Talia fired arrow after arrow but the distance between them meant she was easily able to avoid them. She smirked in Talia’s direction which infuriated her._

_‘COME BACK YOU COWARD!’ Talia roared. The smirk continued to be plastered across her face as Talia spoke again darkly, still within a distance that she could be heard by Chien Na Wei. ‘I will hurt you for this. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you will know that the debt is paid’._

_As soon as she turned around, her emotions caught up to her and tears fell down her face. Oliver brought her closer and hugged her as her tears fell onto his chest as she hugged him back fiercely. They remained in the embrace for a few minutes until Nyssa arrived and Oliver shifted Talia so she fell into Nyssa’s arms._

_‘She will die by your blade and no-one else’s. I promise’ Oliver said, meaning every single word._

* * *

 

‘Before we can go back to Starling City, there is some business I need to attend to. You see, a student of mine was on a mission in Russia and has inconveniently found himself in the Gulag. I need to get him out’ Talia said.

Oliver and Nyssa smirked. ‘Well, I’ve never said no to breaking someone out of a prison with you, sister’ Nyssa said happily.

‘Come, I’ll show you my plans to get in and out. This will work much easier with three other people’ Talia said as she walked the steps and heading to the room which contained her plan.

They walked past a room and Aaliyah looked in through one of the windows. There was a man, who looked to be in his late twenties, training with immense determination.

‘Who’s that?’ Aaliyah asked.

Talia stepped back and looked in the room to see which student of hers it was. Unsurprisingly, she saw one of her new students training as hard as ever.

‘A new recruit. He’s talented and has a purpose. Some people took away a loved one and now he’s here so no-one can hurt him again and so he can exact his revenge’ Talia revealed.

They all nodded in understanding and intrigue as they knew that the power of revenge is real but also dangerous.

‘What’s his name?’ Aaliyah asked.

‘Prometheus’ Talia responded.

Oliver and Nyssa rolled their eyes as this guy had already given himself a name when he’s relatively new. ‘Ok…does he have a real name?’ Aaliyah probed.

‘He calls himself…Adrian Chase’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> s/o to Tyrion Lannister for the amazing quote


	13. Prison Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to point out that if things from season 1 happen in my story, they won’t necessarily happen in the order that they did on the show. It’s whenever I feel like bringing in a certain villain/plot point rather than having to do it because the show did it in that order. Plus, whilst the undertaking is a big point so far in the story, there’s so much more I want to do after it.

It took Thea a few days to recover from her vertigo overdose. She was still confused from seeing her brother, but she did put it down to the drugs. After Shado & Sara’s request, she eventually took the community service that Laurel had managed to get her. She was undertaking the community service at CRNI where Laurel works.

Meanwhile, after the persistent requests by Diggle, Sara finally accepted that they need to look into Moira Queen. When Felicity had brought them the exact same notebook that they had and told them where it came from, Sara was in particular sceptical that Moira knew anything about the list. She put it down to perhaps it was another copy that Robert Queen kept.

She had been convinced to confront Moira about the list as she was the member of Team Arrow that was closest to the Queen family. When she approached Moira about the list, she threw the book in a fireplace and told Sara she shouldn’t ask any questions as it’s dangerous for her. It was at this point that she accepted that Moira Queen was hiding something and as the list was linked to the undertaking, there must be a link between the undertaking and Moira.

Diggle announced to Sara & Shado that he would be driving Moira around the city for the next few days and he hoped he could uncover what she knew. Sara and Shado had no issues with this because at least it should get Oliver off their backs for a while when he returns. He made it very clear that they needed to focus on the undertaking and now they were. However, some of their focus was on The Count. They made it a priority to find him and make him face justice for his drugs and what the drug did to Thea. Felicity, with the help of QC’s applied sciences, had manufactured a cure in case someone else got injected with vertigo.

The whole team were in the foundry and now some arrows contained the vertigo cure. ‘So what now?’ Felicity asked.

‘Now we go solve our vertigo problem’ Shado replied, determined to make every vertigo dealer suffer until they revealed his location. She strapped on her quiver, lifted up her hood and grabbed her bow before walking out with Sara alongside her.

* * *

 

Talia had revealed her plans to get her student out of the Gulag to Oliver, Nyssa & Aaliyah. She was showing the three around her monastery and they were very impressed. To Oliver, it seemed like a smaller version of Nanda Parbat.

‘I have to say, I’m impressed, sister. You’ve built yourself a nice place here. I wonder though, will these students of yours be willing to die for you like league members are?’ Nyssa said.

Talia smiled slightly at her sister’s comment but she understood her concern. ‘They’ve been trained in similar ways to the league. They will die for me if necessary’.

‘Good’ Nyssa replied.

* * *

 

By the time that they had arrived in Russia, it was pitch black. The surrounding areas of the Gulag were quiet, so they didn’t have any issue getting near the Gulag undetected. The plan was for Oliver & Talia to enter through the roof, whilst Aaliyah and Nyssa would find a way in by the ground floor. Through Talia’s Intel, they knew which floor her student was being kept in so they decided it is best if they split up and once they find him, they’ll let the other two know through their comms.

Oliver and Talia scaled the roof of a nearby building and once they reached the top, they looked over into the distance and saw the enormity of the Gulag. As they were looking at the prison they were about to break into, Nyssa spoke over the comms. ‘We’re inside’.

‘She’s got even better’ Talia said to Oliver who just smirked in response.

They both fired off the arrows to the roof on the northern side of the Gulag. Talia smiled at Oliver and said ‘it’s going to be like old times’ which made Oliver laugh. They each lifted up their hoods and used their bows to glide down the rope to the roof of the Gulag.

Once on the roof, they walked up to the door that allowed them to get to the levels below. Talia kicked it open and both calmly walked down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs there was a long path that was circular. Talia indicated with her eyes that she would take the left and therefore Oliver would take the right. Talia saw in the distance a couple of guards but her movements were silent so they didn’t hear her. When she reached them, they had their backs to her so it easily allowed her to grab the first guard in a chokehold, making him pass out in seconds. The other guard reached for his gun but Talia’s reactions were immediate. Before he could get his gun, Talia kicked his arm and in an elegant move, she acrobatically manoeuvred her leg around the head of the man before landing behind him whilst she held on to his arm. The force of her move made the man’s shoulder dislocate which was followed by the same chokehold that had befallen the first guard.

She glanced over to her right and saw that Oliver had dispatched his guards and they then walked back over to each other. In front of them were prison of cells on either side of them but they knew that the man they were after was a few floors below.

As they walked through the prison, many of the prisoners shouted at them to get them out which naturally Talia & Oliver ignored. It was an inconvenience because they knew this would attract the attention of guards. As previously seen, they would not kill guards who are doing their jobs but if it came down to it, they would always put their own lives first.

‘Sister; beloved, a number of guards were on the ground floor of this building. We have taken most of them out but by now I’m sure they are aware of our presence. Be careful’ Nyssa warned.   

‘Understood, sister’ Talia replied. She then turned to Oliver. ‘Let’s go’.

Oliver took a handful number of arrows out of his quiver and passed them to Talia. ‘Tranq arrows that will keep anyone out for half an hour’ Oliver said. Talia gratefully accepted the arrows and placed them in her own quiver.

They made their way through the Gulag, either firing their tranquiliser arrows or knocking guards unconscious. On their level, no guards had been alerted to their presence as they were silent. They made it down to the floor that held Talia’s student and walked briskly until they reached the cell they were looking for. However, when they looked inside there was nobody there.

Talia lowered her hood, which allowed her brunette hair to fall down below her shoulders. She looked over to Oliver in confusion as she was certain that the man they were after was supposed to be in this cell. Oliver was also confused but quickly began to think of alternate places this guy could be.

Suddenly they were surrounded on all sides by a number of guards. They all pointed their guns at Talia and Oliver. ‘Your student told them we were coming’ Oliver mumbled.

‘Lower your weapons’ one guard said in Russian.

Oliver and Talia both slowly bent down to place their bows on the ground. They gave each other a glance and then they both made their move. They both turned quickly in a semi-circular motion whilst their bows emitted a blinding light as well as disorientating the guards with their mini-flash bang grenades. Talia went in one direction in a semi-circle whilst Oliver went in the opposite direction with their backs to each other. With the guards disorientated, they quickly disposed of them with their swords leaving a circle of dead bodies. The time of taking the non-killing approach was over now that Oliver & Talia realised that people knew they were here. Their teamwork was immaculate with Oliver only having a better bond with Nyssa and Talia with her own beloved.

‘What now?’ Oliver asked.

‘My student may have betrayed me, but the Gulag does not make deals. He’s still here somewhere’ Talia sighed.

* * *

 

Nyssa and Aaliyah had also realised that these guards were anticipating them. From a distance, they used their bows and arrows to take down wave after wave of guards. The Gulag was enormous so there were hundreds if not thousands of guards throughout the prison but as the prison was so huge, only the northern building that they were in were alert to their presence. After they had dispatched with all of them they walked up the pile and bodies and Nyssa grabbed the one guy she kept alive on purpose. She lifted him up by his shirt and held him in front of Aaliyah. Through their comms, she had learned that the man they came after is not in his cell, so they needed information and this was how she was going to get it.

‘Tell me where I can find man that arrived here with a bow and arrow’ she said whilst Aaliyah had an arrow nocked and aimed at his head. He refused to speak much to Nyssa’s irritation. She nodded to Aaliyah, who fired the arrow into his shoulder making him grunt in pain. The man had a higher pain tolerance than Nyssa anticipated but that didn’t bother Nyssa much. She withdrew her dagger and stabbed him straight through his stomach, making sure she did it in a place that wouldn’t kill him but rather give him an immense amount of pain.

‘Where is he?’ Nyssa shouted and finally the man answered whilst coughing up blood.

‘Below…here’ he said and Nyssa let him go. Aaliyah and Nyssa moved off trying to find a way to the floor that is underground.

They all met up on the ground floor but in doing so, Talia and Oliver brought with them a number of guards who had radioed in for back up. They saw an entrance but it was clear at least two of them needed to hold off the increasing number of Russian guards as well as police now.

Oliver turned to the Daughters of the Demon and said ‘Go! Aaliyah and I will hold them off until you return’. The two sisters nodded to Oliver and Aaliyah before they went down the ladder that led to the underground floor.

For Aaliyah, this had been the most action she had ever faced. Her missions for the league hadn’t involved many battles but it was clear that Oliver & Nyssa trusted her completely, which in turn made Talia trust her completely too. She had fought alongside Nyssa admirably, taking down a number of opposition members and now it was time to protect her family with Oliver whilst they get Talia’s student out of the Gulag.

They fired a few arrows each taking down a number of Russian guards and police before heavy gunfire made them take cover. Oliver was on one side whilst Aaliyah was on the other side. They heard footsteps coming closer so Oliver peered out to see how close they were. As soon as his went to look, a bullet flew past his head and he instantly went back behind the wall.

‘Ok they’re three people really close. You take the one near you whilst I got the other two’ Oliver said to her.

The 3 police officers made it around the corner but instantly all 3 were killed. Aaliyah had fired an arrow through the neck of one whilst Oliver used his sword to kill the other two. He then picked up a body and began to use it as a shield as he advanced forward to the guards. A number of bullets hit the guard that Oliver was using as a shield and the distraction allowed Aaliyah to fire arrow after arrow into officers and guards meaning when Oliver got to them there was only one left. He saw him begging for his life on the floor and Oliver took pity on him and just knocked him out.

* * *

 

The underground path eventually led to a single room. Talia motioned to Nyssa to open the door whilst she would take down anyone in the room. As she entered she only saw one person in the room; her student.

The student was surprised as he had expected it to be one of the guards coming to release him as he had given them information on Talia and what her plans most likely were. To see his mentor here to rescue him was surprising and a little worrying as he doesn’t know what she will do if she found out he sold her out.

‘Let’s go’ Nyssa said to the man as he stared at her. _She looks very much like Talia_ he thought but put that thought to the back of his mind as he followed the two women out. They led him up the ladder where they saw that Oliver and Aaliyah had dealt with everyone. The escape was much easier than their arrival and soon all 5 were on the roof of the one of the buildings in the Gulag.

‘Thank you, you have no idea what they were going to do to me to make me talk’ he lied.

‘You are trained in the ways of the league. No prison should be able to hold you’ Nyssa said and as she spoke he turned around to look at her. ‘Luckily for you, my sister is forgiving’.

‘Talia, thank…’ he began as he turned to face her but her sword pierced his chest.

‘I’m not forgiving to traitors’ Talia hissed. Although, the mission was in the end for nothing, they managed to find a traitor and as stated in league law, they ended his life. _Finally it’s time to avenge my son. Oliver, Nyssa & I against the Triad; it will be like old times._

‘Now Starling City, Chien Na Wei and her Triad awaits. Let’s go hunting!’ Talia said enthusiastically.


	14. The Demons vs The Triad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Arrow. They all owned by the CW and DC.
> 
> Note: Shado & Sara were not taught by Talia al Ghul unlike in the show where Oliver is. Their skills were enhanced through ARGUS and the Bratva. Remember Shado was already really skilled in combat so she taught Sara and they picked up skills that made them stronger throughout the next 3 years. They are both on par with season 1 Oliver even though Talia did not train them. Perhaps in future flashbacks they get a different mentor but I haven’t focused too much on that just yet. And in chapter 12, the arrival of Adrian Chase is just foreshadowing the future. For now, he will remain out of sight as he learns how to fight.

All of them were on a plane to Starling City. It was a long flight so it would give them all time to rest and mentally prepare for what is about to come. Aaliyah didn’t have much to think about as Nyssa & Oliver told her that this battle was not hers. She was annoyed at first as she wanted to fight alongside Nyssa, Oliver & Talia but when Nyssa explained what she wanted Aaliyah to do instead, she accepted it and was grateful for the trust that her family put in her.

Aaliyah sat with Nyssa whilst Oliver was sat beside Talia on another part of the plane. Many women may have been jealous of the bond that Oliver shares with Talia but Nyssa was definitely not one of them. She loved her sister and would always be there for her but it was Oliver who was there when Damian was killed and it was Oliver who made her the promise that she would be the one to kill Chien Na Wei. Their bond was strengthened that day and she was happy that her beloved and her sister got on so well. They truly were best friends. She smiled as she saw them talking and Oliver caught her smiling at him and gave a loving smile back. Knowing that there was still hours until they arrived, Nyssa tried to get some rest and fell asleep.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Oliver & Talia were catching up with each other on things that have occurred since they last saw each other. Although she had heard most of the stuff Oliver told her from Nyssa when they were travelling to Russia, she listened to him with interest.

‘So that’s how we have our own Lazarus pit’ Oliver said.

‘You’ve finally joined the club’ Talia responded with a smirk.

‘So, how have you been?’ Oliver asked.

The smirk disappeared from Talia’s face and was replaced by a slight frown. The last two years hadn’t been easy for the Daughter of the Demon but she had found herself as a teacher and leader. They had of course talked and met up during the two years but they never had the chance to just sit down and spend significant amounts of time together due to the fact both are always extremely busy. ‘Difficult but soon I will have my vengeance for Damian and then perhaps the future will be brighter’.

‘I’m sorry’ Oliver said after a period of silence. He didn’t know what to say to her so the silence stretched for a period of time. He felt regret that he & Nyssa had to leave Talia when she needed them but Ra’s had ordered them on another mission. Talia had understood but neither he nor Nyssa ever felt they could forgive themselves. Additionally, Oliver felt guilty for a whole different reason.

‘For what?’ Talia asked genuinely confused.

‘That I couldn’t save Damian… I hesitated to follow you when all of those Triad came. I hesitated because I had to stay by Nyssa even though you needed me. Maybe if I didn’t, Damian would be alive. I’m so sorry’ Oliver said with so much sadness that it broke Talia’s heart a little bit.

She held onto Oliver’s hand and made him look into her eyes as she spoke. ‘No! You are not to blame. I didn’t get there in time to save him so even if you followed straight away, it wouldn’t have changed anything. How can you blame yourself for wanting to be by your beloved’s side? And before you try and argue against that, it was a rhetorical question’.

Oliver smiled at her, grateful he had a sister-in-law like her. She continued to hold his hand which he held onto tightly as she looked at him seriously. ‘We both know who is to blame and soon they will all be dead. We fight this battle together as a family. Once we’re finished with them, the whole world will know what happens if you hurt our family….Death.’ Talia said darkly as Oliver eyes turned dark too as he agreed with Talia that the consequence of hurting any of them is death.

* * *

 

The plane landed and all four of them stepped off the plane and set foot into Starling City. Darkness had descended over the city but it was still relatively early in the night. ‘So this is Starling City. Will you take us to your former stomping grounds?’ Talia asked mischievously.

Oliver & Nyssa laughed at that. ‘I don’t think the sight of a dead man and the two deadliest assassins in the world would be welcome around the city’ Oliver joked. They walked over to where there were two cars waiting for them. Nyssa had called the league’s base and ordered transportation for them.

‘Aaliyah, you take one of the cars. Go back to the base and get everyone ready. Prepare them for what is about to come and most importantly, find out exactly where the Triad are’ Nyssa ordered as she turned around to face the young woman. ‘We have other business to attend to’. Aaliyah nodded and said her goodbyes before getting in the car as it drove off to the league’s base.

‘I was not joking Oliver. Once this is over, we need to go out and celebrate’ Talia said.

Oliver sighed, ‘Fine I’ll take you two out somewhere. I’m going to have to go in disguise though’.

Talia and Nyssa smiled at him happily. They all got into the car and drove off to a certain club located in the Glades. As they drove through the city, Talia pointed out at how poor the city looked. ‘This is the Glades. It’s the worst part of the city and crime is rife. As much as I hate to admit it, the vigilantes in the city are causing crime to go down’ Oliver said.

‘Why do you hate to admit it?’ Talia asked.

‘You’ll see’ Nyssa said to her sister.

* * *

 

They arrived outside of a club that was named ‘Verdant’. _The surrounding area to the club looks different to the rest of the Glades. Perhaps the owner of the club has gentrified the neighbourhood_ Talia thought. The club had been impressively transformed and the booming sound of music could be heard from inside the club. There was a long queue outside of the club, showing how popular the club is. Although perhaps as it is a Friday night, the number of people wanting to get in the club should be expected.

A smirk appeared on Talia’s face as she looked at the building. _So these are sort of places Oliver used to go to be an idiot billionaire playboy. Imagine if he was still that sort of man when he arrived at Nanda Parbat. Nyssa would’ve killed him so quickly._ Talia was amusing herself with thoughts of playboy Oliver as it was so much different to how he is now.

‘What’s funny, sister?’ Nyssa asked when she saw the smirk on Talia’s face as they were walking over to the side entrance.

She was trying to hold back her laugh but couldn’t. ‘Just imaging Oliver in his playboy era. This would’ve been one of the places he would’ve gone’. Nyssa gave a small chuckle understanding why her sister was laughing; imaging playboy Oliver was a funny thought.

‘Hey! It wasn’t an era…’ he began but stopped when he saw the incredulous looks the two women were giving him. ‘Ok I was that person for a long time…but I’m definitely not that person anymore’.

Nyssa placed a hand on his cheek as they looked at each other lovingly. ‘No, you most certainly are not’ she said as Oliver leaned down and kissed her.

Talia coughed slightly getting their attention as both Oliver and Nyssa were slightly red. ‘I didn’t want to interrupt or anything but we have more important things to take care of. You can get back to kissing my sister later, Oliver’ Talia joked with a smirk on her face.

* * *

 

The whole of Team Arrow were in the foundry as Sara & Shado had just returned from an encounter with The Count. Beating drug dealers for information eventually paid off. They finally had a location but when they arrived at the building, they were met by The Counts hired thugs. They easily dispatched of them but by fighting them, they allowed The Count to escape. Felicity was on her computer trying to cross-reference the building that The Count was in with others in the city in order to find a link.

Suddenly the power cut out in the foundry leaving it in darkness. The club above them was not effected as its electricity was on a different grid. There was a loud bang followed by a few moments of silence. A bowstring being pulled back could be heard between the silences until the power eventually returned.

Three figures dressed in black were in the middle of the foundry, right next to Felicity. Each of them had the hoods up but Sara & Shado knew who it was. Shado still had an arrow nocked just in case any of them made any sort of movement towards Felicity. They all lowered their hoods and Team Arrow saw someone they had never met before standing in the middle of the trio.

With her brunette hair and similarly amazing looks to Nyssa al Ghul, Shado deduced this was the sister-in-law. She wore a similar outfit to Oliver but there were some distinct differences. She was clearly a skilled archer too as she had a quiver strapped to her back, alongside her sword, and a bow in her hand. Of course, Shado wouldn’t usually just assume someone is skilled but she is the Daughter of the Demon hence she had no doubts whatsoever that this woman is highly skilled and highly dangerous.

‘I am Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, leader of the League of Shadows’ Talia said introducing herself. Oliver & Nyssa hadn’t told her why they were here and who exactly they were meeting so all she knew was that these were the vigilantes.

‘Felicity Smoak, M.I.T. class of 09’ the woman closest to them said.

All three assassins smiled at her introduction, finding it amusing. Shado still had her arrow nocked whilst Sara had her bo-staff in her hand. ‘Put down your weapons, Shado & Sara. If we wanted to kill you right now, you would already be dead’ Oliver said.

 _He has a point_ Sara thought as she placed her bo-staff in its holder whilst Shado did the same with her bow and quiver. When they returned, Talia had an angry look on her face. ‘These are people who left you to die, Oliver?’ she asked with pure disdain.

‘Yes’ Oliver simply said.

Felicity was about to interject to try and defend her friends but Talia spoke again. ‘Maybe you should get your weapons again’ she said coldly.

‘No. We didn’t come to kill them’ he said to Talia.

‘Fine but when the time comes, I will be here right alongside you and Nyssa’ Talia whispered in his ear which made him smirk. _One of us could effortlessly take all of them. The three of us will be overkill but I’m not complaining._

‘I’d like to see you try’ Sara said bravely. Since their previous encounter, Sara & Shado have been training relentlessly to try and improve.

Nyssa laughed in Sara’s direction. ‘You should be careful what you wish for. Talia is even better than Oliver & I’. Whilst what Nyssa said was true, the real gap in the abilities were very, very small. They were so small that on their day, any one of the three could win in a fight with the other. Sara visibly paled at Nyssa’s words and remained silent.

‘Tonight, the entire Triad will die. We will obliterate them but if any of you get in our way, you won’t like the consequences’ Oliver declared with his warning clear.

The foundry was silent at Oliver’s declaration as the three assassins moved to leave. They were near the door when Felicity ran up to them. ‘You cannot just kill all of them. Do you know how many of them there are?’

As they didn’t hate Felicity, Oliver’s tone with her was civil. ‘They are murderers, drug dealers and corrupt. They represent everything that is a threat to society and everything we as League of Assassins or in Talia’s case the League of Shadows leader, aim to eliminate’.

‘I understand that but you are talking about killing an entire organisation’ Felicity argued, hoping she could get through to him.

‘They took someone from us. We will have our vengeance’ Talia said coldly.

The foundry was silent for a few moments after the three assassins left. They all could understand why Oliver would want to kill Chien Na Wei after what she did to Thea. But he was talking about eliminating the entire Triad.

‘We…we’re not going to just sit here and do nothing right?’ Felicity asked.

There was a significant period of silence as Sara, Shado & Diggle contemplated what they should do. ‘We should try and stop him. Felicity find any suspected Triad activity’ Sara said.

‘Do you have a death wish?’ Diggle asked disbelievingly.

‘He…he’s my friend. I can’t let him do it’ Sara said weakly. ‘It’s better if it’s just Shado & I for this. There’ll be less chance of being detected’. Shado nodded, accepting everything Sara said.

* * *

 

Oliver, Nyssa & Talia arrived outside of the League’s base so get some supplies they would need for the impending battle. On the way, they had discussed the vigilantes in more detail and the undertaking. Talia had offered to reveal the identity of Al Sa-Her but Oliver and Nyssa wanted to figure it out themselves and not take the easy way. Talia respected that but if it was absolutely necessary, she would tell them.

Talia entered the base first and as she entered, all of the assassins that saw her bowed in respect. ‘I’m loving the respect the league members still have for me’ she said to the other two.

‘You’ll always be a part of the league, sister. And even if you was not, I would order all of them to show their respect’ Nyssa said frankly.

Talia walked further inside and saw in the distance glass cases where currently Oliver’s main outfit was hanging and next to it an empty one, which Talia assumed was Nyssa’s. ‘I may have to get myself one of these’ Talia remarked.

Oliver grabbed his customised league of assassins outfit from the holder and went off to get changed. Meanwhile, Talia & Nyssa prepared for the battle to come by gathering arrows to put in their quivers and also getting a number of explosive arrows. They each grabbed a number of knives and hid them around their bodies. By the time they were done, Oliver had returned and also placed arrows in his quiver. He was not really a knife fighter, so if the situation arose, he would use his dagger.

Nyssa walked over to a table that contained a weapon that Talia wasn’t aware of. Nyssa gave Oliver & Talia one each and they placed them on their forearm underneath their sleeves. Nyssa only had 3 of them at the moment so each of them received one.

‘This is a hidden blade. If you flick your wrist like this…’ Nyssa demonstrated, ‘then the blade will extended. It will be particularly useful for stealth kills and if someone has you trapped’.

Talia and Oliver practised activating the hidden blade and it only took a couple minutes before both could do it with ease. ‘This is a very useful contraption, sister. Thank you’ Talia said.

‘Anytime. More should be made soon so we can have one on each arm but for now we only have one’ Nyssa said. ‘Also they will be personally customised. I find the blade to be particularly boring. A design needs to be added to it’.

Oliver, Nyssa & Talia just became even more deadly and dangerous with the addition of the hidden blade. It was easily used and very difficult to notice. Talia made a mental note to ask Nyssa how to make them as she wanted to give her students them once she thinks they’ve earned the right to use it. A lot of her students take her teachings for granted and whilst they have become great warriors, their dedication is lacking in comparison to others. _Perhaps a certain Adrian Chase is worthy of the hidden blades_ Talia thought.

‘Have you got their location?’ Oliver asked Aaliyah.

‘Yup’ she replied as she indicated where they were. The building they were in was very large with large open spaces surrounding the building. ‘Our intel tells us that they’re having an important meeting where they’ll discuss their business and competitors’.

‘Good. They will all be there. This makes things a lot simpler’ Oliver stated. ‘I want you to be here’ he said whilst pointing to the exact spot. ‘On the roof of that building. You will overlook the southern side of the building’. Aaliyah silently listened to his instructions feeling really happy that they feel she is ready for this level of responsibility.

Nyssa told the rest of the assassins the plan. The assassins left the base to move into position leaving the base with only Oliver, Nyssa, Talia & Aaliyah. After around twenty minutes, they left heading towards the Triad.

* * *

 

When they arrived, the entire surrounding area had league of assassin members on top of buildings. Nyssa had called league members in nearby cities to come to Starling City in order to surround the building. There was no escape tonight. There were about 30 league members on each side. The four of them swaggered up to the front of the building on the southern side where Aaliyah would command. Assassins moved out of the way, allowing them to reach the front of the roof, so they could see the building they were about to attack.

On Oliver’s comms, he had the assassins in charge of the 3 others sides. They could all see each other in the distance, so Oliver knew they were in place. ‘Remember, no-one but Triad die tonight. Everyone else, you use the tranq arrows’ Oliver said over the comms. He then turned to Aaliyah. ‘You know what to do if the vigilantes appear’.

They all raised their hoods and reached for an arrow from their quivers. They fired an arrow that would allow them to glide down to the ground. There were about 50 Triad protecting the building from the outside but the darkness benefitted the assassins. As this was the Glades, the Triad had no worries that the police would interfere with them but had their members protecting them in case other organisations such as the Bratva tried to attack them.

From all directions arrows pierced the hearts of Triad until only the 5 who stood directly in front of the entrance of the building remained. They were looking all around them to see where the arrows were coming from but they just appeared from the darkness. Then one of them caught a movement in his eyes. In an instant, Talia nocked her arrow and fired it into the heart of the woman, smirking wickedly as she stepped back into the darkness.

The 4 remaining members of the Triad looked at the dead bodies with fear written across each of their faces. There was the familiar sound of an arrow being nocked and fired, causing another Triad member to die. They looked in the direction that it came from but this time it was a man in a black hood who smirked as he disappeared into the shadows. The three remaining Triad guards fired their guns wildly but they hit nothing.

For thirty seconds, it was completely silent as they became even more scared. Then two throwing knives went through the legs of two the guards. As the final guard knelt down to help his fellow Triad, a blade impaled his throat. Oliver had silently ran so that he was behind him and using his hidden blade, he extended it into the Triad’s throat. The two who had knives in their legs, tried to stand up and back away from the hooded archer but they too found a blade in their necks as they backed away directly into Talia and Nyssa’s hidden blade.

They entered the ground floor of the building and it was quite loud as people talked to each other. They had learned that Chien Na Wei was holding a meeting with the leaders of the Triad in the top floor. No-one really took notice of the three hooded individuals as they entered the building. _Fools_ each of them thought. They rapidly fired arrow after arrow killing all in their current floor in a matter of seconds.  They looked around to see if anyone had survived because as they were shooting so rapidly, it was expected some shots were not instant kills. Every shot Oliver fired killed his target, living up to his reputation as the greatest archer in the world. Talia’s & Nyssa’s shots all hit, but a few still remained alive.

Nyssa & Talia were fantastic archers in their own right but Oliver was slightly better just like how both of them were slightly better than Oliver with swords. To all who remained alive, Nyssa & Talia sashayed up to them and took out their swords. Quickly and ruthlessly they slit each of the throats of those who lived, leaving bodies lying in pools of blood.

‘One floor down, six to go’ Oliver murmured.

They walked up the stairs to the next floor, killing anyone they encountered with their bows and arrows. Their reaction times were so fast that the Triad couldn’t even try and reach for their guns. They were dead before they even tried.

The walked into the next room that covered the entire floor. Each floor had one room that covered the whole floor. As they entered they turned off the lights and placed their bows on the backs as they withdrew their swords. The moonlight allowed enough light for them to see a little. However for the Triad, it was a massive disadvantage to look for 3 hooded people in a dark room. Talia killed the first few she saw by stabbing them right though their hearts. The next Triad she came across had their back to her. She stabbed her sword through one his legs, making him fall to his knees. At that height, it easily allowed Talia to snap his neck. She then took her sword out of the dead Triad’s leg and continued to slaughter more Triad members.

Nyssa & Oliver teamwork was immaculate as ever. They had already left a trail of bodies and when Oliver saw Nyssa had kicked a man to the floor, leaving him in a kneeling position, he chucked his sword towards Nyssa. Knowing what she was about to do, he just continued to take out more Triad but this time with hand-to-hand combat. A right hook knocked one member out instantly and Oliver used his hidden blade to kill him as he was on the ground. As he did this a couple managed to see him as the moonlight shined in through the windows. They advanced on him but he blocked and evaded each punch and kick. Ducking underneath a punch, he did a spinning heel kick on the man which hit him right on the jaw and made him stumble backwards into the arms of Talia who swiftly snapped his neck.

Nyssa, with the two swords, beheaded the man who was on his knees in front of her. ‘Sister!’ Nyssa called out, making Talia notice the two who had managed to manoeuvre their way behind her. Nyssa ran up to them and working in tandem, they dispatched of them easily. All three knew how to fight together flawlessly and it clearly showed.

Oliver meanwhile had used his hidden blade on the final person in the room. They walked out of the room and towards the next set of stairs. Nyssa placed her beloved’s sword in its holder on his back as they climbed the stairs.

The next 4 floors ended in similar fashion, with a trail of bodies in their wake. A few gunshots were fired but none hit the assassins. In fact, in their attempt to kill the assassins, some of the Triad shot their own men and women by accident. They had arrived at the top floor where the meeting between the highest ranking Triad members was taking place. Well in reality, they were the only Triad members left. In about 15 minutes, Oliver, Nyssa & Talia had taken out over 300 Triad members. Of course, one would think that the Triad would still live on as they have people in China but at the same time as the current attack, Talia’s students and league members were destroying them in China. The only Triad left were in this room.

* * *

 

Unfortunately for them, the room was soundproof so they did not here any of the gunfire or screams for the levels below. However, the police had been called by people who had heard the sound of gunshots. Multiple police cars arrived outside of the building but as soon as they stepped out of their cars, they were shot with tranquiliser arrows, rendering them unconscious. Around 20 members of the SCPD were down on the ground when Shado and Sara appeared.

Sara searched the bodies to see if her father was here but thankfully he was not there. She pulled out an arrow and recognised the arrow was a tranq arrow. It was at this moment that Shado tapped her shoulder and pointed to the surrounding rooftops. They saw well over a hundred league of assassin’s members surrounding them.

‘Oliver did say there would be consequences’ Shado muttered.

A young woman glided down towards them using her bow to slide down the rope. From the northern side, another woman also made her way to the ground. They walked up to Sara & Shado, who had the weapons ready in case they were attacked.

‘You were warned not to come here and yet here you are’ Amirah said, who was the older of the two.

‘Ollie is my friend and I don’t want him to do something he will regret’ Sara said.

‘Al Sah-Him will not regret this. They took someone from us and bragged about it. How many people have they murdered so their organisation can benefit? How many drugs have they sold? Our purpose is to eliminate threats to society and the Triad are a threat’ Aaliyah said confidently.

‘You can either leave now or suffer the consequences’ Amirah said.

Sara and Shado shared a look and both knew what they were going to do. They charged at the two women and a fight broke out. Shado fired a number of arrows at Amirah but she managed to dodge them, although one left a deep gash on her cheek. Shado got some distance between her and Amirah and this time fired an explosive arrow. Amirah caught it but it immediately blew up in her hand and sent her crashing to the floor.

* * *

 

Sara was fighting Aaliyah with her bo-staff whilst Aaliyah used her sword. The fight was very evenly balanced with neither being able to take advantage of the mistakes by the other. After a few minutes of blocked attacks, Sara managed to land a hit to Aaliyah’s face which made her fall to the floor. As Sara stood over her, Aaliyah swept her feet from under her and landed a strong punch to Sara’s face as she fell to the ground. On the ground, Aaliyah and Sara tried manoeuvre the other so they could lock in an arm bar or a rear naked chokehold respectively but both reversed each other’s attacks.  They both got up and picked up the first weapon that they saw, which happened to actually be the other woman’s weapon. They continued the fight and both were exceptionally skilled with each other’s weapon. They both landed a couple of hits but nothing that could end the fight.

* * *

 

Amirah was stunned on the ground and was finding it difficult to get up. Over the comms she had instructed for nobody to get involved and for them to take down any police that come. Shado was right over her and about to fire an arrow through her heart but she managed to raise her hand to catch it just in time. However she didn’t have time to catch the arrow that went through her shoulder. She groaned in pain but when Shado went to pull the arrow out of her shoulder, she used her bow to hit Shado over the head. This hurt and stunned Shado as she wasn’t expecting it. Amirah got up as quickly as she could and pulled out the arrow. She was quite surprised with the ability of Shado. She knew that she could beat her but her foolishness with the explosive arrow cost her in this fight. Shado is a very smart fighter and although she wouldn’t be able to win in a straight fight with any league member, she would be a put up a fight with her tricks.

‘You are most impressive but remember, I have over 100 assassins with me. Live to fight another day. No innocent people will die here tonight so unless you really want to be hurt, I suggest you leave’ Amirah said.

Shado looked over to Sara who had heard what Amirah had to say. There were so many people surrounding them that there was 0% chance of survival. Plus, now that they were here, they realised there was nothing they could do for Oliver. They couldn’t get close enough to him to try and talk him out of it and honestly Shado & Sara were not sure if they wanted to talk him out of it anymore. Aaliyah had made a number of good points and whilst they knew Felicity or Dig wouldn’t be ok with it, they knew the world wasn’t black and white. It was grey and so sometimes people like Oliver, Nyssa & Talia have to do these sort of things because others would not.

‘Fine’ Shado said but was filled with some hope as she fought pretty well tonight but she didn’t realise that she got lucky. She had no idea that she had no chance against the league yet. They both left but they didn’t go far as they perched themselves on the roof of a nearby building.   As they looked to the building they had no doubt Oliver was in, they saw 3 explosions from the top floor of the building. They could see an entire wall had been destroyed from the blasts.

* * *

 

Oliver kicked the door down and immediately all three fired explosive arrows in the directions of anyone but Chien Na Wei. The blasts had destroyed half of room and there were body parts scattered across the room. Oliver & Nyssa took care of anyone who was left alive whilst Talia stalked over to Chien Na Wei.

They didn’t say a word to each other as the fight broke out. Chien Na Wei threw multiple knives at Talia but she easily caught the first and then swayed out of the way of the rest. With a knife in her hand, she tried to stab and slice Talia but she deflected each attack and then disarmed her with relative ease. Talia elbowed her in the gut and then followed it up with a punch across her jaw. Chien Na Wei was still standing…just. But then Talia kicked her across the face and she fell to the floor.

‘Who…are…you?’ Chien Na Wei managed to say between coughs.

Talia lowered her hood and revealed her face to the woman she hated the most in the world. When she saw her face, Chien Na Wei looked on in shock but then managed a small smirk just to spite Talia. Talia got on top of her and threw punch after punch to her face causing it to bleed in multiple places.

‘Lift her up, sister. Oliver, you know what to do’ Talia instructed.

Nyssa lifted her up and tied her to a chair. ‘The entire Triad is dead. You are the last one alive. But your death will be long and painful’ Talia said as Oliver covered the room in flammable liquid. Once he was done, both he and Nyssa left the building through a huge hole in the wall and made it to the ground.

Talia took out her sword and brought it down on the hand that killed her son and severed it.  Chien Na Wei screamed in pain and she couldn’t move due to being tied up in the chair. Talia then struck her through her shoulder causing her screams to increase in volume. ‘I made you promise when you killed my son’ Talia said as he grabbed Chien Na Wei’s hair. ‘Do you remember?’ She could barely stay conscious but in her mind, she remembered that day clearly.

_COME BACK YOU COWARD!’ Talia roared. The smirk continued to be plastered across her face as Talia spoke again darkly, still within a distance that she could be heard by Chien Na Wei. ‘I will hurt you for this. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you will know that the debt is paid’_

‘I could tell you were happy today. Joyful. You had all the important members of the Triad here and told them about the success the Triad have had in recent months. Is that right?’ Talia said but received no answer. ‘ANSWER ME’ she shouted and Chien Na Wei gave a weak nod. ‘I promised you that your joy would turn to ashes in your mouth…and now it will’

Talia took out a matchstick, lit it and set the room on ablaze as she stood by the edge of the room ready to make her escape the same way Oliver and Nyssa had. She saw the look of pure fear in the eyes of Chien Na Wei and it caused Talia to smirk as she finally had avenged her son. The flames consumed Chien Na Wei, ending her life in slow and painful manner. _‘The debt is paid’_ Talia coldly told the burning corpse of Chien Na Wei. Talia needed 100% confirmation of her death so after the flames had consumed her, she threw her spare sword right into the head of Chien Na Wei before escaping the burning building.

She landed right next Oliver and Nyssa who looked at her expectantly. ‘It’s over’ she said simply. The three walked away from the burning building side by side and Nyssa took out her own matchstick and lit it. She threw it down behind her and quickly the fire spread to about 50 metres wide as they continued to walk away.

The fire spelt: _al Ghul._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was by far the longest chapter I’ve ever done and I hope the destruction of the Triad lived up to the hype. Writing Talia is awesome and at some point she will become one of the main characters of the story just because the last 3 chapters with her in them have been really fun to write. I really appreciate all the likes and comments!


	15. Talia's Warning

Talia, Oliver & Nyssa had used a grappling arrow to reach the rooftop of the building Aaliyah was on. They surveyed the destruction that they had caused and a smirk appeared on each of their faces as they saw the fiery words _al Ghul._

Talia was relieved that her two year hell was over. Not only had she avenged her son alongside the two people who were with her on that day, but she had fulfilled her promise to Chien Na Wei. Her joy had turned to ashes in her mouth. Literally. The Triad was finished with hundreds dead in that building but no-one had suffered a worse death that Chien Na Wei. The severed hand caused tremendous pain but the way she felt as she was burned alive was indescribable.

The Triad members in China had been dealt with too meaning that the Triad were no more. No-one would be stupid enough to create a new iteration of the Triad and try and take revenge on Talia, Nyssa & Oliver. If they were, Talia knew how it would end for them. She could finally move on from pain of losing her child and she realised this is where she belonged. She belonged alongside her family; Nyssa & Oliver. She still had business to take care of in her League of Shadows but she knew there was a way that she would be able to fight alongside them permanently, she just had to speak to her father first.

Her plan was to re-join the league so she can be with her family but she had no intention of retaking her previous position of Heir to the Demon. Nyssa & Oliver were now the heirs and she had no intention of changing that but she still intended to be the League of Shadows leader. Her proposition to her father would be to make the League of Shadows an extension to the League of Assassins. Therefore she would be a full member of both organisations. _I hope father goes for this proposition. I miss my family…_

* * *

 

‘Any trouble with the vigilantes?’ Talia asked Aaliyah. Aaliyah gave her a sheepish grin to which Talia said ‘well I guess you didn’t lose seeing as you look fine. What happened?’

‘Sara & I fought to a draw. Amirah and I then told them to leave. They would definitely die if they tried to fight us with over 100 league members surrounding them’ Aaliyah said.

‘They’re talented then’ Talia said but then spotted something from the corner of her eye. Oliver & Nyssa had too spotted it and fired a grappling arrow to the nearby building. ‘Stay here’ Talia ordered.

Within a matter of seconds Oliver, Nyssa & Talia were standing directly in front of Shado & Sara. The speed that they arrived in shocked Shado & Sara a little bit but they were not too afraid in the moment. They hadn’t really interrupted Oliver tonight and they had kind of left when they realised they agreed with Oliver so they didn’t believe he would threaten or attack them…At least not tonight.

‘Not bad’ Nyssa said, directing her message to Sara. ‘You didn’t lose to my protégé’.

‘Errm, thanks I guess’ Sara replied finding it weird that Oliver’s wife actually gave her a compliment. Sara looked at her with mistrust in her eyes but Nyssa gave her a smile which unnerved her. ‘Ok, this is really weird. You’ve never smiled at me unless it some sort of wicked smile. Ollie, what’s going on?’

Oliver pointed to the flames of the building and in particular flames that spelt _al Ghul_. ‘I told you that we would destroy the Triad and now we have. Now, the whole world knows what happens if you mess with our family. Anyway, Nyssa’s in a good mood as we all are. Take the compliment, Sara. But I also told you that there would be consequences if you two came tonight’ Oliver said with the last part coming out in a dark manner.

In a flash, Oliver and Talia had raised their arms and flicked the wrist so their hidden blade extended. The tips of the blade touched both Sara & Shado’s throats respectively, triggering a trickle of blood to flow. It was only a small amount of blood but the message was clear. Both of them could’ve been dead if they really wanted to tonight. They had never seen this sort of weapon and it intrigued them both but also it made them fear Oliver even more. _How many different forms of combat and weapons is he a master of?_ They both thought. 

Talia saw the frown on Shado’s face and decided to reveal a story to the two women who have hurt her brother. She removed her blade from Shado’s throat but kept the blade extended.

‘Why so serious?’ Talia said as she moved closer to her face. ‘My beloved and I once fought a madman who said that line to people who cowered in fear to him. And then he did this’ she said as she placed her blade by the side of Shado’s mouth. Shado’s eyes widened in shock and fear as she had no idea what was going on.  ‘He would then use a knife to cut smiles into their faces’. She removed the blade and stepped back so she was beside Oliver & Nyssa again. ‘I’m not a psychopath like that Clown Prince of Crime so that fate will never befall you… But perhaps the fate that Chien Na Wei suffered is destined for the two you’ Talia said whilst adding a smirk right at the end.

‘Go home. I’m sure you have a lot to do with the vertigo guy still running around’ Oliver said with a hint of disappointment. He expected them to have found him by now seeing as he was away with Talia for a few days but perhaps he had put too much expectation on them. _They’re not us. They’re not League of Assassins._

* * *

 

The three went back to their people before the assassins scattered in all direction, either going back to the respective safe houses in the city or leaving the city altogether to go back to wherever they had come from. Talia would stay in Starling City before heading back to her monastery in a couple of days. As promised, Oliver took Nyssa & Talia out to celebrate at a club which was something he hadn’t done in a long time. They drank and danced late into the night and woke up the next morning with hangovers.

Oliver woke up around 12pm with Nyssa’s arm draped over him. She looked so peaceful and happy. Oliver still couldn’t quite believe that he had managed to get Nyssa to fall in love with him but he was so thankful that she had. She was the reason that the darkness inside of him did not consume him. She made him a better person and he loved everything about her just like she loved everything about him.

Nyssa opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Oliver with a small smile on his face. She smiled back at him and rose up to give him a kiss. The sudden movement caused her head to hurt so after she kissed him she fell back to the bed and placed her head on his chest. ‘Imagine if my father had seen us last night’ Nyssa sighed whilst Oliver laughed.

‘We would be training new recruits for years if he saw me, you & Talia drunk last night’ Oliver said as he stroked her hair.  

They both laid there for a while in a peaceful silence until after a while, Nyssa spoke. ‘I miss home’. She knew what this city meant to Oliver but if she were being honest, it’s not home and she couldn’t wait until they returned to Nanda Parbat. Make no mistake though, she would never try to rush their mission and have the possibility of making errors. She just hoped that it would be sooner rather than later that they returned to Nanda Parbat.

‘I miss it too’ Oliver said.

‘You do?’ she said in a surprised tone as she expected him to be happy that he has finally returned to his home.

‘Yeah. It’s where I got to know you. It’s where I fell in love with you. It’s where I married the woman who became the love of my life’ he said and then kissed her. ‘Starling City WAS my home. Nanda Parbat IS now my home’

She placed a hand on his cheek and she moved herself to straddle him. She leaned down and kissed him passionately. ‘I love you’ she whispered between the kisses.

‘I love you too’ he said looking directly into her eyes as his hands roamed all over her body. Both of them found that sleeping with each other again the morning after going out reduced the effect of the hangover massively.

* * *

 

_Four Years Ago:_

_The dirty blonde, long haired Oliver woke up in a small room that he didn’t recognise. His long sleeved t-shirt had been removed leaving him in his trousers. His shoulder had been bandaged up due to the bullet that Ivo shot him with. His abdomen was also covered in bandages from the sword wound that Slade Wilson had given him. The bandages on his abdomen were a light shade of red and as he tried to sit up, he groaned as he felt pain all over his body. He laid back down on the bed and looked around the room and there was nothing noteworthy in there. The walls were made of stone and he thought that wherever he is, it’s very old._

_Suddenly, memories flooded his mind. He saw himself try and sacrifice himself in order to save Sara & Shado. Slade saying he failed him. Slade trying to kill him. He had no idea where Sara & Shado were. Well he has no idea where he is for that matter. The last thing he remembered was seeing a mysterious, exotic & beautiful woman._

_Through the pain, Oliver managed to sit up in the bed as the door to the room opened. The same woman who walked into the room as the one who saved him. He finally got a better look at her because he only saw her for a few seconds before he passed out when they were on Lian Yu. He now saw that she wore skinny dark red pants whilst the rest of her outfit was a mixture of red & black. He didn’t have her bow or her quiver anymore but rather a sword across her back._

_They stared at each other for a few moments until Nyssa closed the door. She was about to speak but Oliver managed to talk first. ‘Where are we?’_

_Nyssa sighed, not liking the fact the man had spoken just as she was about to. ‘Below the Hindu Kush mountain range. A place called Nanda Parbat’_

_‘Who are you?’ he asked, not remembering that she had in fact introduced herself on the shores of Lian Yu._

_‘I am Nyssa al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, Heir to the Demon’ Nyssa stated._

_‘A mouthful’ Oliver said sarcastically._

_Nyssa rolled her eyes at him. To anyone else, she would’ve taken offense at the remark but there was something about this man with the long dirty blonde hair. She felt something when she saw him but she wasn’t sure what it was._

_‘So why am I here?’ he said in a hostile tone. In the previous two years, he has had to grow up fast and he no longer trusted anyone unless they earned his trust. In addition, he was no longer the spoiled billionaire playboy he once was. That man had died on the Queens Gambit. In his place, the survivor was born and he was infinitely times stronger than the man who died on the boat._

_Whilst he was aware to not trust easily again, he forgot to take into account that this woman had saved his life and from the looks of it had rescued him from purgatory. Nyssa arched an eyebrow at him, effectively saying ‘is that really how you want to play this?’ Although it was true there was something about this man that intrigued her, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if required._

_‘I’m sorry. It’s…I don’t trust easily after spending two years in hell’ Oliver said apologetically._

_Nyssa nodded. She had no idea what happened on that island but from the scars all over the man’s body, she knew it was something terrible. She respected his will to live after seeing his body. ‘You’re no longer in hell. Welcome to home of the Demon’s head’ she said,_

_‘Great. Just what I wished for’ he once again said sarcastically. ‘Did you see my friends? They were on a freighter near the island’_

_‘I’m sorry but you were the only person we found’ Nyssa said as Oliver looked on sadly. He had lost everyone he had cared about for the second time in his life._

_‘Thank you for rescuing me’ he said quietly._

_‘You may wish you were back on that island soon. Only a select few are cut out for life here’ Nyssa said._

_‘Nonethesless, I was going to die and you saved me. I hope I’m cut out for life here then, I guess’ he said._

_Nyssa already knew the answer. She had seen his hands. The hands of an archer. She had seen his scarred body. The body of a survivor as well as a warrior. ‘He should be fine but then again his will to live may not be as strong as he’s lost everyone he’s ever cared about’ she mentally said._

_‘What’s your name?’ she asked._

_‘Oliver Queen’_

_‘Well it’s nice to meet you Mr Queen. Once you have recovered, you will speak to my father and he will determine your fate’ Nyssa declared. She then walked up and sat beside him as she unravelled the previous bandages across his abdomen. Her fingers ghosted over his skin as she cleaned some of the blood away and redid a couple of the stitches. The feeling of her fingers across his abdomen was a pleasant one but also a worrying one. He was worried that there was something about this woman that instantly made him feel like there was a connection between them. He just didn’t know what it was yet._

_‘Thank you and please…call me Oliver’ he said as he coughed in pain._

_‘Ok, Oliver. I’ll be back later’ she said as she left the room._

* * *

 

_Nyssa walked through the castle to the throne room where her father was located. Ra’s al Ghul was intrigued by the man Nyssa had found on Lian Yu. He had seen his body when Nyssa brought him to Nanda Parbat. He was inclined to put the boy out of his misery as it was clear he had suffered greatly. However, his daughter convinced him to let him wake up and then judge him. It was his hands that intrigued Ra’s as it was those of an archer and he wanted to see what the boy could do._

_‘His name is Oliver Queen. It shouldn’t be long until he is healthy enough to get up and walk. There’s something about him, father’ Nyssa said._

_‘Certain individuals can have that effect on a person’ Ra’s said without even turning around to acknowledge his daughter._

_‘He said he’s spent two years in hell’ Nyssa said which made Ra’s turn around._

_‘He will wish he was back in hell… Let’s see if can endure life with Demons’ Ra’s said with a smirk._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know Oliver got better with his bow after Shado died on the show but for this story, Shado had trained him for months so he’s already very good. Thanks to all of you for all the amazing reviews for the whole story and that last chapter!


	16. Talia's Farewell

The elevator doors opened with Oliver & Nyssa walking out of it. They walked into the main part of the base where they hoped to find Talia. There were a few assassins who looked like they were busy, but Talia was nowhere to be found.  They noticed that there was a difference in the main hub of the base. Instead of there being two glass cases side by side, there were now three of them. There was one each for Oliver, Nyssa & Talia. All of their outfits were hung up on mannequins with the new edition of Talia’s one. Each case contained their bows, quivers, swords, hidden blades, daggers, & in Nyssa and Talia’s case, knives. Both of them were confused why all of Talia’s weapons and her outfit where in a glass case next to theirs as they had assumed now that they had successfully destroyed the Triad, she would head back to her League of Shadows.

They both knew that soon it would be time to get back to cleansing the city from crime and corruption whilst stopping that the undertaking that is planned for the city. The Count was the first person would they unleash their wrath on. His drug poisoned Thea and neither Oliver nor Nyssa were going to let the psychopath get away with it.

‘Whilst we were fighting the Triad, I sent a couple members to search for The Count. We have a last known location’ Nyssa said.

‘Good. We’ll go pay The Count a visit tonight’ Oliver said to his wife.

‘What about the vigilantes? Should we included them this one time?’ Nyssa asked.

‘Hmm…They deserve their chance to take down The Count just as much as you & I. Perhaps we could…team up’ Oliver said, with the last part coming out painfully. ‘It’s up to you though’

‘This one time I think we can work with them’ Nyssa said as she got on her tiptoes and gave Oliver a quick kiss on the lips.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in one of the training rooms Talia & Aaliyah were sparring with each other. Talia had decided to see the skill level that Aaliyah was at and by extension, the level that Sara was at. This was because previously, Aaliyah had fought Sara to a draw.

Aaliyah knew that Talia was just as good as Nyssa & Oliver. In fact, using swords she was better than Oliver and completely equal with Nyssa so she understood that she had to survive and hope for a lapse in concentration from her opponent. Aaliyah took the out a sword from the sword rack but as she turned around Talia said ‘Take two swords’. Aaliyah did as she was instructed and when she went to face Talia, she noticed that Talia was just standing there with her hands behind her back.

Aaliyah admitted to herself that she was slightly unnerved. Not only did Talia expel a calm demeanour but she was also in casual training clothing, which Aaliyah had never seen her in. The few times she had seen her, she was always in the black outfit but today she was wearing a tank top and yoga pants.

‘Go!’ Talia ordered and Aaliyah charged towards her, swinging both her blades quickly towards Talia. Talia easily saw it coming and with her quick reflexes, she swayed out of the way from both swords. Aaliyah twisted her body and brought her swords from behind her to gain more power but once again, Talia swayed out of the way. The sound of the swords hitting the ground as they missed the intended target reverberated around the room. Just as soon as the tip of one sword hit the floor, Aaliyah brought it up and took a swing at Talia’s head. She ducked underneath the blade but she didn’t see the other blade coming at her from the other direction. She just managed to lean back in time to avoid getting hit and she then took a few steps back in order to regain some control. Talia was going to comment that Aaliyah’s technique was sloppy but decided against it after she almost got caught. _Her technique is still sloppy yet she still managed to surprise me. Interesting._

Talia continued to dodge out of the way from Aaliyah’s swords but she noticed with every passing swing, she was getting more and more frustrated and it showed in her technique. As she avoided one of the blades, she sent a spinning kick to Aaliyah’s face. The power behind the kick made Aaliyah stagger back before she fell over but she also lost her grip on one of the swords and it fell to the ground. As she climbed back up, she looked around the ground for her second sword but it was now in the hands of Talia.

‘Have you ever fought with two swords before?’ Talia asked. Aaliyah shook her head, indicating that she had not. _That explains her sloppy technique. She has to be better with a single sword._ Their blades clashed but Talia had more raw strength, so she managed to push Aaliyah to the floor. She turned the fall into a roll, and she saw quickly got back onto her feet.

Talia lunged forward and relentlessly attack Aaliyah with her sword. The young woman could barely keep up and she only managed to block a couple of the attacks. The rest got through her defences but Talia used the side of her sword so it wouldn’t actually pierce the skin. Talia felt as though the young woman still had a lot of work to do but she was impressed with her determination as she never gave up. Even though she would be dead 10 times over if this were a real fight, Aaliyah went on the offensive once again. Talia used her sword to block a few attacks from Aaliyah but this was a part of Aaliyah’s plan as she then went to try and stab Talia through her right leg. Predictably, Talia saw it coming and blocked it, but she didn’t see Aaliyah’s right leg come around her neck as she pulled Talia down to the ground with the leg around her neck.

Aaliyah’s thinking was that perhaps on the ground, she would be able to defeat Talia in hand to hand combat as her sword skills were far too superior. It was a nice idea in theory but as soon as they were on the ground, Talia escaped from the chokehold that Aaliyah attempted and in a matter of seconds he had put Aaliyah into her own submission move. She placed herself on her side and so one of her legs were between Aaliyah’s. She then pulled Aaliyah’s arm behind her own leg and Aaliyah’s back, which put tremendous strain onto Aaliyah’s shoulder.

‘I give up’ she said painfully. Talia let go and helped the young woman up to her feet.

‘You lasted quite long, I’m impressed but there are area’s to improve on. It’s not just you though, everyone can always improve including myself, Nyssa & Oliver but it will be a lot easier for you to improve as the three of us will guide you and mentor you’ Talia said.

Aaliyah gave her a grateful smile even as she rubbed her shoulder. ‘Thanks Talia. I’m getting better all the time. Hopefully one day I’ll be on the same level as you, Nyssa & Oliver’.

‘You will but just be patient. Also it won’t be easy; nothing worth having is but you have the mentality to succeed’ Talia said as she smiled to the young woman who was now a part of her family.

* * *

 

Team Arrow had arrived in the foundry. They had all gotten a good night’s rest as they prepared to take on The Count again. By the time Shado & Sara had arrived back at the foundry the night before in order to get changed from their vigilante outfits, Felicity & Diggle had already headed home. Shado & Sara were glad because they didn’t have the energy to explain what they saw tonight in depth. Over the comms they had given Felicity & Dig a brief explanation of what had transpired earlier in the night.

The team was now gathered but there was an awkward silence as no-one wanted to begin to speak. Eventually, Diggle was the first to speak. He grabbed the newspaper that was on the table behind him and showed his three teammates the front cover. ‘Over 300 Triad members massacred. How can three people do that?’

‘They’re not three ordinary people. They’re three of if not THE three deadliest assassins on the planet’ Sara pointed out.

‘And the way you described them killing that Chien Na Wei woman. It gave me nightmares last night’ Felicity looking visibly scared after remembering her nightmare.

‘That was…intense’ Shado said. ‘But apparently it was a promise that Talia had made in the past’.

‘Doesn’t changed the fact that she murdered her’ Diggle mumbled.

‘And what was up with the words _al Ghul_ in flames? They seriously like their theatricality’ Felicity said.

‘It was a warning. A warning to the world that this is the fate that will befall you if you mess with Talia, Nyssa & Ollie’ Sara said, answering Felicity question.

‘What is done is done’ Shado said loudly, making it clear that it was time to change the topic of the conversation. ‘Felicity, how’s the search for The Count going?’

‘He’s become a ghost since that last attack you two did. There’s been no activity from him’ Felicity replied.

‘Perhaps he realised that the Hood and the Black Canary were after him and he decided to leave the city?’ Diggle interjected.

‘No, he’s the type of psychopath who craves destruction and isn’t intimidated by the threats of vigilantes. He’ll probably feel intrigued that we’re going after him’ Sara said.

‘Felicity keep looking. Us three need to go out and search the streets for answers’. Shado was interrupting by the sound of a phone ringing. Felicity picked up the phone and looked at the caller id and scrunched her face in confusion as it said _Unknown Number_. As it was the vigilantes’ phone, she knew no-one apart from detective Lance that had means to call the phone. Felicity handed the phone Sara, who answered it.

‘Hello?’ Sara said.

‘Hello, Miss Lance’

‘Amanda…’ Sara growled. ‘What do you want?’ she said in a hostile tone.

‘The same thing you & Miss Fei want’ Amanda Waller said calmly.

‘And what would that be?’ Sara said with her patience running thin.

‘To see those who caused the massacre in Starling City behind bars or dead. The ‘al Ghul’s’ I believe’ Amanda said matter-of-factly.

‘And why would either Shado or I want that? They removed the problem of the Triad and not just in Starling City but throughout the world’ Sara snapped.

‘True but you’re the Starling City vigilantes. I would’ve assumed you would want to take down these killers and make your city safer…’ There was a period of silence where Amanda Waller expected Sara to respond but when she realised that Sara was not going to say anything, she continued speaking. ‘Perhaps I am mistaken. You want these people, who caused destruction, in your city’

Earlier in the conversation, Sara had put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear what Amanda was saying. Shado was the one to respond to Amanda this time in a menacing voice hoping to show how serious she was. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. You forget that I know you, Amanda. I know you so well and I know what you’re thinking and if you try and go after these three people, you’ll die and all your people in ARGUS will die. This is forces beyond your ken, Amanda’

Trying to persuade Amanda Waller to change her mind was a foolish. Shado didn’t have a chance to change Amanda’s mind once it was set. ‘You know who they are don’t you? It doesn’t matter. When the time comes, ARGUS will deal with your problem. You’re smart women, I know you’ll pick the right side’ Amanda said and even though Sara and Shado couldn’t see it, they knew she had her cocky smile on her face. Waller hung up on them leaving Team Arrow pondering what they should do.

‘Let’s go find The Count’ Shado declared after a period of silence.

* * *

 

Amanda Waller admitted to herself that she was scared but she would never admit that to anyone else. The people they were after were not the normal sort of people ARGUS would go after. These people had skills that no-one in ARGUS could match and as seen by the destruction they left in Starling City, they were very dangerous. The thing that scared her the most was the flaming words _al Ghul._ She had heard the stories of legend of an organisation of the most deadly warriors to walk the face of the earth. Their leader was named Ra’s al Ghul. She never believed it was true but these words, which were over 50 metres wide and in flames, left no doubt to Amanda that Ra’s al Ghul is real and she needs to stop him and his organisation. _I will do this with or without Sara & Shado but if truly want their city to be safe, they side with me & my ARGUS._

* * *

 

Oliver & Nyssa stood by the door and caught the end of Talia & Aaliyah’s conversation. They eventually found Talia in the training rooms and were happy she was giving advice to Aaliyah. She had accepted the young woman as her own family and Nyssa knew they would get on very well indeed.

‘Sister, Oliver, how nice of you to grace us with your presence at 3PM in the afternoon’ Talia said playfully as she noticed the couple enter the room.

The couple blushed as they thought about what they had just been doing for the last few hours. ‘We were hung over’ Nyssa said.

‘Lightweights’ Talia mumbled. ‘Would you like to spar with me?’ she said directing her question at either of them.

They both shook their head as they didn’t really feel like it at the moment. The next few hours went by quite quickly as the four of them relaxed and just spent time with one another. Before they knew it, it was time for Talia to leave. She gave each of them a hug before addressing Nyssa. ‘I think I’ll listen to your advice little sister’ she said in a cryptic manner.  

Nyssa looked at her confused as Talia said ‘Bye everybody!’ _What is she talking about?_ Nyssa wondered as Talia left to head back to her monastery.

* * *

 

_10 Years ago:_

_A 17 year old Nyssa tearfully hugged her older sister as they said goodbye to each other. Talia had decided it was time to leave Nanda Parbat. She wanted to go out and try to forge her own path and see where it would take her. Ra’s had reluctantly agreed as he was confident Nyssa would do a good job as Heir to the Demon. Nyssa had tried to convince Talia to stay because she needed her older sister but Talia had pointed out that Nyssa was all grown up now and she didn’t need her anymore. ‘This will be good for both of us. I will be out there by myself; a lone wolf, trying create her own destiny whilst you can rise up and escape from my shadow’ Talia told Nyssa. Nyssa wasn’t happy but she wiped away her tears and nodded. She knew that this was an opportunity to show that she was worthy. She never resented Talia but they both knew that whilst Talia was here, Nyssa could never reach her full potential. ‘I’ll miss you sister, but we both need this. Perhaps one day I’ll return for good. We will see each other again. I promise’ Talia said as she gave her sister one final hug before she walked towards the door in order to leave Nanda Parbat._

_Nyssa knew the area that Talia intended to go to. It was not really far from where they currently were so the conditions were quite similar. There would be lots of snow, strong winds but she believed Talia would succeed. But nonetheless, she felt like she needed to warn her sister what leaving Nanda Parbat truly meant._

_Talia was already out of the door when she heard Nyssa speak and so she turned her head around towards her sister._

_‘When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives’ Nyssa said slowly, hoping that her sister would understand what she is saying._

_Talia stood there absorbing in Nyssa’s statement for a few moments before she turned her head and walked away._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the awesome reviews. I really appreciate it and I'm glad a lot of you like the Dark Knight references I've done because I love that trilogy. Now I also love Game of Thrones and throughout this story I've dropped a few Game of Thrones references and this chapter has one too right at the end. To any other of GoT fans, that trailer last week was mad. The hype is so real. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter and don't worry, Talia will be back!


	17. The Count

Talia rapidly made her way through the city and before long, she found herself at an abandoned airfield outside of Starling City. As she was travelling she once again thought about the words her sister told her all those years ago. _When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives_ Nyssa had said. Talia had ignored her sister’s words on that day but now she didn’t want to be a lone wolf anymore. _Soon I’ll be back_ she thought as she boarded the plane that would take her back to her monastery.

* * *

 

_‘There is still no further news as to who organised the massacre of the Triad here in Starling City. There have been reports world-wide of other members of the Triad being killed so it appears to have been a planned attack on them. The only clue that the SCPD and government agencies have is mysterious flaming words that spelt al Ghul. We understand that this means The Demon but government agencies have yet to comment on this. We will bring you the latest news as soon as it comes in’_ the reporter said.

Malcolm Merlyn had heard enough as he sat in his office in the Merlyn Global Group building. He turned off the TV and chucked the TV remote across the room. He clenched his hands in anger as he now realised that the League were here in Starling City and they would be coming for him next. As he was watching the reporter, his face conveyed a fearful expression as he recognized how close the league truly was. He walked over to the door that held all of his equipment and his armour. He opened it and walked around all of his weapons, knowing he’d need each of them when the time came for it. _They have an army. I’ll need one too. Unless it is Ra’s himself here, I will be able to take all of them on_ he thought, yet his thoughts said one thing but his face said another; he was scared.

As he was circling his weapons and the Dark Archer outfit, he began to wonder if the undertaking was truly worth it. _If the undertaking goes as planned, they will come for me. I broke the code. Yet they will come for me no matter what if they know what I’ve been planning for years._ His indecision was soon replaced by a steely determination as he decided everyone in the Glades needed to die for what they did to his wife. He walked out of the room and closed the door. The door locked and could only be accessed by Merlyn’s fingerprints. He sat down behind his desk and began formulating plans for when rather than if, the league comes for him. He feared no individual in the league apart from Ra’s al Ghul but if multiple members of the league tried to attack him, he needed a plan in place.

* * *

Nyssa & Oliver were confused by Talia’s words to Nyssa. Neither knew what she was talking about but soon they would understand what she meant. They didn’t dwell on it for too long as they headed out to Sara & Shado’s club. The building had been unused by Queen Consolidated before Sara & Shado returned so when Shado proposed to buy the building from Queen Consolidated, Moira Queen was happy to let her. The money had come from Anatoly & the Bratva who had decided to help their captains. 

Sara, Shado & Diggle were about to hit the streets again to find the latest location of The Count. Felicity once again was going to do a polygraph test over the comms so that they would know if the drug dealer is lying or not. ‘Your security is lacking’ a deep voice said from the darkness, clearly using a voice modulator. He didn’t need to use the voice modulator but he liked how terrifying his voice could become with it, even though Nyssa told him he scares people just fine without the voice modulator.

Sara, Shado & Diggle instantly spun around as Nyssa & Oliver dropped down to the ground from the darkness. ‘Where’s the other one?’ Shado said with disgust as she remembered what Talia said to her.

‘Are you missing my sister?’ Nyssa said with a smile.

Shado scoffed at her. She had no time for that woman who had now threatened her on multiple occasions. She was glad that she wasn’t here but in the back of her head, she was thinking about where she is and why she isn’t here with Oliver & Nyssa. ‘No, I…’

‘Ollie, get to why you’re here. We were just leaving so as you can see, we are kinda busy’ Sara said as she interrupted Shado’s response to Nyssa. Sara was irritated with the lack of progress with The Count as she desperately wanted him behind bars. She didn’t want his drug to hurt or kill anyone else.

Nyssa made a step towards Sara as she didn’t like the tone the blonde woman was talking to her husband with. Oliver placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder and she immediately relaxed at his touch. ‘You want to find The Count? We have his last known location’ Oliver revealed.

‘And why would you tell us? You’ve made it clear even though we have the same goal, you don’t want to work with us’ Sara said sceptically as she was wary of a trap by these two.

‘You’ve been after this man for a long time. We feel that you should be there when he faces justice’ Nyssa said.

‘How kind of you’ Diggle said sarcastically.

‘If I were you, I’d know my place Mr Diggle. If you don’t…well I think you’ve been around long enough to understand how this works. It won’t end well for you’ Nyssa said with her warning clear and she smirked right at the end when she saw her message getting through to John Diggle.

‘Let’s discuss this as a team’ Sara said, walking over to the other side of the foundry. After a moment, Diggle & Shado followed her whilst Felicity got up from her chair to join the others. ‘What do we do?’ Felicity asked.

‘We can’t trust them. We can’t’ Diggle said adamantly.

‘Perhaps, perhaps not’ Shado started but Diggle cut her off.

‘No, there isn’t a maybe here. They’ve said they will kill you both. If either Felicity or I get in there way, they’ll kill the both of us. We can’t trust them’

‘But we need them for The Count’s location’ Sara said.

Diggle sighed as he knew that Sara was right. He hated to admit that but in this situation, he had to. ‘You’re right. But I’m not taking my eyes off of them. I don’t care what Nyssa said, if they try anything I’ll do what’s necessary to protect my friends’.

‘It won’t come to that’ Shado assured him. Diggle nodded his head to her as they all walked over to Oliver & Nyssa, who were conversing in hushed tones.

‘Where is the location’ Felicity asked as she sat down by her computers. Nyssa told her the location as she walked over to her computers.

‘There are not any security cameras that are functional’ Nyssa revealed. ‘When we go there, I suggest you monitor the SCPD communication links and let us know if they are heading our way’.

‘Felicity doesn’t work for you. She is a part of our team’ Shado said harshly as she wasn’t liking how Nyssa came in and instantly took over the room.

‘Tonight, we are all one team are we not? If you have a better use of Felicity’s skills, please enlighten me’ Nyssa said equally as harsh. Oliver had to cough to try and cover up his laugh at Nyssa goading Shado whilst Shado just grumbled. At the silence in the foundry, Nyssa continued to speak. ‘So now that we got that clear, let’s go’.

Oliver & Nyssa calmly walked out whilst Team Arrow were on guard for any sort of trap. Diggle kept his hand on his gun at all times as he didn’t trust the couple. Diggle offered to drive them to the location as he didn’t want to converse with Oliver or Nyssa. Sara & Shado sat in silence as they prepared for the upcoming battle with The Count whilst Oliver & Nyssa were whispering in each other’s ears as they sat there feeling totally calm.

* * *

 

They arrived at the building that The Count was supposed to be in. They looked up at the building and saw a light at the top floor. ‘The last time we had The Counts location, he was alerted by our presence when we took out his guards’ Shado said.

Oliver thought for a moment before he said ‘Ok, you & Diggle enter through the roof and stop him from escaping whilst Nyssa, Sara & I will fight up to the top’.

‘How are we supposed to get to the roof from here?’ Diggle asked, still with a hostile tone.

Oliver sighed at his lack of awareness. ‘If you had a grappling arrow you could be up there in seconds. However, since you don’t I suggest the fire escape’.

‘And why exactly have you split us up like this? Who put you in charge?’ Diggle demanded.

Oliver once again sighed at the man but he couldn’t really blame him for his attitude considering he has given the man two pretty severe beatings in the last few months. ‘No-one put me in charge. If you want to split us up differently, be my guest but you’ll come to the same conclusion that I did in about a second. This is the best way to split up. Nyssa & I need Sara as she’s best at close combat which is what we will need and we don’t need Shado as Nyssa & I already use bows hence it’s best if the two of you take the roof’. At Diggle’s silence Oliver continued ‘Now if you’re done questioning my abilities as a leader, let’s get the guy who’s drug almost killed my sister’.

* * *

 

Oliver, Nyssa & Sara quickly ran up a flight of stairs as they didn’t run into any trouble for the first few floors. They were nearing the top when they eventually saw some of The Count’s hired guards. There were 3 of them so each of them would take out one guard. Oliver indicated to Sara which one she should take whilst he didn’t need to communicate with Nyssa as they both knew what the other was thinking. Oliver & Nyssa fired an arrow into the shoulder of the guard they were going after whilst Sara ran and engaged her target. The two guards with arrows in their shoulders cried out in pain but were quickly put to sleep as Oliver & Nyssa ran up the stair as slugged them across the face with their bows. Sara meanwhile knocked the gun out of the final guard’s hand and then swiftly hit him across the face a couple of times with her bo-staff. She moved off towards Oliver & Nyssa when she heard movement behind her. She turned around and back-handed the man across the face, knocking him out.

The noise of the screams clearly alerted the other guards as they joined together just outside the top floor so they had the numbers against their attackers who had they assumed were the two vigilantes. There were about 10 of them waiting for Nyssa, Oliver & Sara. Sara ran around the corner and the guards had an easy shot on her but Oliver & Nyssa pulled her back just in time so that she avoided the bullets that would’ve certainly killed her. She gave the two of them a grateful look before she asked ‘What now?’  

‘Now you witness why we are League of Assassins. There’s too many of them for us to knock out and still live. It’s our lives or theirs and I choose ours. Do you understand, Sara?’ Nyssa told Sara seriously.

Sara nodded at her. ‘I do’.

From behind a pillar Oliver threw a couple of flashbang grenades, which disorientated all of them. They all moved forward with Oliver firing three arrows rapidly which went into the hearts of three guards. Nyssa withdrew her sword and swiftly dispatched of 4 guards with deadly moves with her sword and her hidden blade. Sara split her staff in two and threw both of them into the hearts of two of the guards, killing them instantly. The final guard was still disorientated so Sara easily manoeuvred herself behind him. She kicked one of his legs, forcing him down onto one knee where she snapped his neck. She retrieved her bo-staff but decided to hold them as two sticks instead of putting it back together.

‘You take the middle of the room. I doubt he’s in there anymore because of the noise of the flashbang grenades but Shado and your friend should stop him from escaping. Nyssa, you got the left, I’ll take the right’ Oliver said.

Just as they were about to move, Felicity spoke over the comms nervously. ‘I’m sorry but I just got the message that the police are heading to your location. I don’t know how long they’ll be’.

They all heard the sounds of sirens and Sara told Felicity over the comms ‘they’re here’ in an annoyed tone.

‘Alright we’ve got to be quick’ Nyssa said.

Oliver picked up one of the dead bodies and opened the door to the room on the top floor. He chucked the body in there before backing away. They heard continuous gunfire for about 30 seconds. Once it stopped they knew that it was time to strike, but those 30 seconds meant that the police were very close to them.

Oliver kicked open the door and immediately fired arrow after arrow, killing whomever he saw with a weapon. Nyssa did the same with her bow and arrow and after about 15 seconds of continuous shooting, all the guards in the room were dead. Oliver walked over to the ones he killed and was about to pull out an arrow but Nyssa hissed ‘what are you doing?!’

‘Urrm getting my arrows? It’s so wasteful to just leave them here when we can reuse them’ he explained.

‘Now is not the time, beloved!’ she said indicating towards the door of the impending arrival of the SCPD. Oliver huffed but listened to his wife as he walked with them to a set of stairs that lead to the roof. Sara just rolled her eyes at the pair as she thought in her head _even when they don’t entirely agree with each other they fix it straight away. They truly are meant for each other._ With that thought, any lingering feelings that Sara had for the man standing in front of her disappeared as she was truly happy that her friend had found the love of his life.

The sound of the police in the building was getting ever louder so the trio quickly made their way up to the roof. They opened the door to find Diggle standing over an unconscious body whilst The Count was fighting Shado. He had a gun in his hand but Shado expertly disarmed him and then floored him. She grabbed the vertigo that was in his hand and injected him with his own drug, as she had decided it was justice for producing the drug in the first place. The Count began to shake furiously as the drug entered his body.

Oliver & Nyssa were not so convinced by Shado’s methods as they believed The Count should die for his crimes. They raised their bow and nocked an arrow. They were about to fire an arrow at The Count but Shado stood in front of him. ‘No! It’s over, he’s suffered for his crimes in this city. Let the SCPD handle this’ Shado said.

‘The league doesn’t take prisoners!’ Oliver said adamantly.

‘it does tonight’ Shado said whilst fixing him with a glare.

Nyssa stepped forward, about to argue with Shado but a number of the SCPD led by Detective Lance entered the rooftop.

‘LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!’ Lance shouted.

Oliver and Nyssa both growled in frustration. Oliver made a quick movement to grab a smoke bomb and he threw it down to the ground. After the smoke cleared, only the police and a drug overdosed Count remained.


	18. Al Sa-Her

The smoke bomb allowed all 5 of them to escape the SCPD. Sara, Shado & Diggle arrived at their van and decided to head back to the foundry. They knew Oliver & Nyssa would be angry but they’d rather talk back at the foundry.

‘Do you think I did the right thing?’ Shado asked her teammates.

‘I think so. You already injected him with vertigo and now the police have him’ Diggle said whilst Sara nodded in agreement. ‘You don’t have to kill every single enemy we encounter and I think you’re now getting that’.

‘Hmmm, I think I am. Thanks’ Shado replied.

‘Perhaps. Perhaps not. We had a situation that meant we had to kill some guards earlier. I agree with you Diggle but there are times where we have to put them down to save our own lives’ Sara said.

‘Yeah, but I’ve noticed that you’re both finding ways to deal with the situation without killing. It’s probably those assassins that is the reason that you killed today. Maybe there wasn’t another way but I know how they operate and they don’t hesitate to put someone down’ he responded leaving Sara with much to ponder. He wasn’t wrong because to Oliver, Nyssa & the league, there are no second chances.

The rest of the journey was spent in a comfortable silence until they arrived back at Verdant. They removed their gear and changed into more comfortable clothing as they awaited the arrival of the Heirs to the Demon. Sara decided to check on some business in the club above and by the time she returned half an hour later, they still hadn’t arrived.

‘Maybe they have just gone home?’ Felicity pondered.

‘Nah, you never saw their faces. They were both really angry’ Sara said.

* * *

 

Oliver and Nyssa were gliding across the roof tops heading towards Verdant when something caught their eyes. They raced across the rooftops chasing down the dark hooded figure. He looked like he was wearing League armour but Nyssa & Oliver knew that there shouldn’t be any league members in this part of the city. They followed the hooded individual into a warehouse whilst being aware of their surroundings in case it was a trap. They didn’t notice anything that could put them in danger so either the hooded individual didn’t realise he was being followed or he knew but didn’t plan on being followed so he had to adjust his plans.

* * *

 

The hooded individual knew that he was being followed for a while but he didn’t plan for this to happen. He was in the area taking care of some business and as he was heading back to his base, he noticed he was being followed. He took a quick glance behind him and noticed it was two people wearing hoods with bows in their hands. _The League_ he thought. He led them to a warehouse that he knew was abandoned and turned on the power as he walked in. He noticed that there were only two of them and he was pleased at this. _I have become more skilled over the years. Two average League of Assassins members may be extremely tough to anyone else but to me, it will be easy._ Unfortunately for him, it was not two ordinary League of Assassins members that were entering the warehouse. It was the Heirs to the Demon.

* * *

 

Oliver and Nyssa swaggered into the warehouse and saw the man standing in the middle of the room, awaiting their arrival. He was looking down at the ground but eventually he lifted his head and looked at the two. Luckily for him League of Assassins armour covers most of your face because if it didn’t, Oliver & Nyssa would’ve known the man in front of them was flustered.

The man in front of them looked like a typical League of Assassins member but they wouldn’t try and escape the Heirs to the Demon, so _who is this?_ Nyssa thought. It then clicked in her head. _Only one person who is dressed in League armour would run from the League. Al Sa-Her._

‘Beloved, that is Al Sa-Her’ Nyssa whispered.

‘You sure?’ he whispered back to her.

‘Positive’ she said.

Al Sa-Her was frozen for a moment as he saw who was standing in front of him. This was no mere ordinary member of the League of Assassins. This was Nyssa al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, Heir to the Demon. _Ra’s has sent his daughter and heir to this city? Shit_ he thought.

Al Sa-Her’s finger twitched on his bow. He was ready for any sudden movement from the two in front of him and if they did, he would fire arrow after arrow at them. _Nyssa may be the heir but I’m just as skilled._

‘Give up Al Sa-Her. You can’t beat the two of us’ Nyssa stated.

‘And why would I do that, Nyssa? I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve upheld the code’ he retorted.

‘Don’t test my patience! We know what you’re planning. Last chance!’ she shouted.

Al Sa-Her didn’t respond to her and both of the heirs huffed at his stupidity. They advanced on him but when they were around half way towards him, he said ‘Two of you versus just me? Now that’s not fair. Where’s your honour, Nyssa?’. He looked over at Oliver ‘Fight me, boy’. His plan was to isolate the two warriors in front of him. Someone of Nyssa’s skill level would’ve been difficult for him especially if she had help. But if he made it a 1v1 battle, he was far more confident.

Nyssa lowered her hood and veil to reveal her face to Al Sa-Her. She had a devilish smirk across her face. ‘You have no idea what you just got yourself into. My beloved will destroy you’. _He doesn’t know about Oliver. Of course, he doesn’t since he left when I was still a child but he thinks Oliver is an ordinary league member. Never has he been so wrong._

_Beloved? This man is Nyssa’s beloved? If she and this guy are here on Ra’s orders, that means Ra’s not only knows that Nyssa is in love with this man but he has accepted it. That makes this guy exceptionally dangerous. OH SHIT!_ Al Sa-Her thought and before he knew it, the man in the black hood was already upon him. Al Sa-Her couldn’t avoid Oliver’s attack, who used his bow as a staff and he was knocked off balance slightly but he quickly recovered. In a flash, Oliver withdrew an arrow, nocked it and fired in a smooth motion. Al Sa-Her just had enough time to lift his hand and catch the arrow. It was mere millimetres from his face and the thought of being so close to death angered the experienced fighter. He looked beyond the arrow but Oliver was already right in front of him. Oliver sent a sharp kick to Al Sa-Her’s ribs causing him to gasp in pain. Oliver had slung his bow across his back and was throwing a number of different combos at Al Sa-Her. Oliver managed to land a strong punch to his jaw causing him to fall to one knee. Oliver spun around to gain momentum and sent a kick to his jaw but Al Sa-Her caught his foot which surprised Oliver. Nyssa took a step forward but didn’t make any other movements that suggested she was going to interrupt.

Al Sa-Her had been able to anticipate that Nyssa’s beloved would kick him when he was on one knee. It was a move Ra’s had taught him so he correctly assumed that he did the same for the man in front him. With one of his legs in his own hand, Al Sa-Her kicked Oliver’s only remaining leg, causing him to fall to the floor. As he fell, Oliver withdrew the dagger that was given to him by Nyssa without Al Sa-Her realising.

Oliver was flat on his back with Al Sa-Her just above him, about to throw a furious round of punches at his head. Instead of using his heads to defend his head, he moved his head to avoid the first punch. Al Sa-Her’s punch grazed Oliver’s cheek but it didn’t cause any pain to Oliver. As Al Sa-Her was about to throw more punches, Oliver gripped his dagger tightly. Using his right hand, which contained his exotic dagger, he slashed at Al Sa-Her’s face. The blade managed to cut through the material covering his face, leaving him bleeding on the left side of his face. The gash went from his forehead to midway down his face. Some of the blood was getting into his eye as he grunted in pain. He was making a move to stand up but in Oliver’s other hand was his hidden blade. He extended it and slashed at Al Sa-Her with a fatal move intended. However, Al Sa-Her backed away just enough as the blade cut him across the face leaving him with a _‘x’_ looking wound on the left side of his face.

He was holding his face in his hands, which were now covered in blood, as he tried to assess the situation whilst also trying to keep his screams of pain to a minimum. Al Sa-Her realised one thing whilst Oliver got to his feet and got his bow out; _he was fucked_. Oliver fired an arrow into his shoulder but due to his league armour it didn’t pierce too deep into his skin. It did however still cause tremendous pain. He couldn’t keep himself standing and collapsed onto the floor. Oliver towered above him as he coughed up some blood because Oliver stamped on his chest using his foot. He cried out in pain as he realised there was only one way he was getting out alive. _My timing must be perfect._

He slowly moved his hand into his pocket and found what he was looking for. It was a little device that had a button on it. His thumb ghosted over it as Oliver ripped off his hood and everything covering his face. Blood completely covered his left side of his face but you could clearly see the ’ _x’_ looking wound which was causing the blood to flow.

Oliver looked down at Malcolm Merlyn in shock. _Al Sa-Her is Malcolm Meryln! Tommy’s dad is Al Sa-Her…What.The.Fuck._ Suddenly it all clicked for Oliver. He now knew Malcolm is the creator of The List. His dad was involved in the list and Malcolm killed him off for some reason. _I spent two hellish years on Lian Yu because of this bastard._ Oliver brought down his dagger, intending to stab him directly through the head and end his plan for the city. He got halfway to his head when Malcolm clicked the button in his pocket.

Oliver heard _a whooshing_ sound coming towards him due to his enhanced senses from League training. He was so close to killing Al Sa-Her but he was forced to turn around to the direction of the sound. Two arrows flew through the air and if they continued in their current trajectory, they would hit Oliver directly through the head.  The crossbow had been set up during the time it took Oliver & Nyssa to arrive at the warehouse.

Nyssa fired an arrow, deflecting one of the arrows, but one still remained on course to kill her husband. Oliver’s eyes widened as he saw the arrow and with an almost immediate reaction time, he caught the arrow with the tip just brushing against his nose. Nyssa sighed in relief but Malcolm Meryln threw a smoke bomb which covered the entire floor in smoke. By the time the smoke had cleared, Merlyn had escaped. All that was left was a small pool of blood where his body previously laid.

‘Shit!’ Oliver shouted.

‘You know you could’ve killed him much much earlier’ Nyssa pointed out to her beloved.

‘I know…’ he grumbled. ‘I forgot that there was a reason you named him _The Magician_. I forgot that he’d have tricks up his sleeve. Next time, I will not make the same mistake. Neither you or I ever make the same mistake twice’.

‘Next time? Hold up for a second there beloved! You know the rules that you & I follow. It’s my turn next!’ Nyssa exclaimed.

‘I was hoping you’d forget’ he mumbled. ‘Fine, you get to kill him. Anyway, Malcolm Merlyn is Al Sa-Her. Everything makes sense now. I’d rather just explain this once, so I’ll explain it to everyone when we get back to the base’.

‘Ok’ Nyssa said as they left the building, with a bounce in her step as she couldn’t wait to make Al Sa-Her suffer for breaking the league code. _I should have killed him when I was a child. Stupid Merlyn with his magic tricks. No matter, it’s undisputed that it is my turn next and I will kill him. Sorry beloved, but he is mine!_

‘What about Shado?’ Nyssa asked.

‘Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. Let’s go to Verdant first and then we’ll go home’ he replied.

* * *

 

They arrived at Verdant and it was extremely busy. A lot of young adults were drinking and dancing inside the club whilst Oliver & Nyssa made their way to the rear entrance to the foundry. Oliver reminisced the days when he partied hard as he heard the thud of the bass. Although he & Nyssa do occasionally go out to clubs and bars after they’ve finished a mission, he can’t say he misses getting drunk and partying every day because next to him is the love of his life and he wouldn’t change that for the world.

The pair of assassins stormed into the foundry with angry looks on their faces as they recalled that The Count still lives.

‘We told you that the league doesn’t take prisoners’ Nyssa hissed.

‘And I said it does tonight’ Shado shot right back.

‘This man created the drug that nearly killed my sister. He deserved to die’ Oliver told Team Arrow.

‘You said we were a team tonight. You said that Ollie, so we take prisoners. We’ve discovered that we don’t need to kill all of our enemies’ Sara said.

‘That’s ridiculous!’ Nyssa said incredulously. ‘But you’re right we were a team so we can’t just follow the league code. However, I just said _were_ as in past tense. If we ever encounter The Count again, we will kill him’.

‘You know there are worse fates than death’ Diggle said. ‘The Count may have suffered just that thanks to the overdose Shado gave him. You should thank her for finishing off the person who harmed your sister’.

‘True’ Oliver said in agreement with Diggle, much to the older man’s surprise. ‘There are fates worse than death but people like The Count find ways out and find ways to hurt innocent people again. Nyssa & I would’ve prevented it. We could quite easily go and kill him right now but as you said Sara, we were a team so Nyssa & I will trust your judgement’. His facial expression became more serious as he spoke again. ‘Just know however, if anyone ever gets hurt or dies because of vertigo, it will be on your hands’.

With his speech done, Nyssa and Oliver turned to leave. Before they got to the door, Oliver said ‘We discovered who is organising the undertaking. We ran into the creator after the incident with The Count. We’ll tell you more tomorrow’.

They reached the door when Shado said ‘Your sister needs you, Oliver and I think you need her too’. The mention of Thea caused Oliver & Nyssa to freeze but after a couple of seconds they walked out of the foundry. Once they were a good distance away and with no-one near them, they turned towards each other.

They both looked into each other’s eyes as they entwined their hands. Nyssa gave Oliver a smile as they shared a tender kiss. They broke apart, resting their foreheads on each other. Nyssa placed a hand on his cheek whilst they remained in the same position. ‘It is time, beloved’.


	19. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After 6 years, the Queen siblings see each other again.

Life hasn’t been easy for Thea lately. Her brother died nearly 6 years ago and when Sara returned from the dead, she prayed that Oliver would miraculously return too. Alas, that was not the case and the 17-year-old Thea was heartbroken for the second time in her life. She had grown close to Sara & Shado, as they felt they needed to look out for Oliver’s sister. Even Laurel had returned to her life but there would always be one person missing from her life.

After a few months, she worked up the courage to ask Sara & Shado about what happened to Oliver. She knew they were not telling the truth when they first returned and the way they spoke about her brother made her know there was something they were hiding.

* * *

 

_6 Months Ago:_

_Thea had called Sara & Shado and asked her to meet her at her home. There was something that had been on her mind since the two women had returned a couple of months ago. She was nervous as she sat on the couch. Her left foot kept on shaking as she knew that Sara & Shado don’t like to share what had occurred on the island. _

_Sara & Shado walked into the room and said hello to Thea. They both sat on the couch next to Thea. Neither knew why Thea had called them to the Queen Mansion but they owed it to Oliver to help his sister in any way possible. _

_‘What happened to my brother?’ Thea said bluntly as she had no intention of making small talk._

_Sara and Shado were taken aback by the question but their faces quickly hardened, masking their true emotions._

_‘He’s gone, Thea’ Shado said._

_‘I know, but what happened to him. I need to know’ Thea pleaded._

_Sara and Shado glanced at each other and decided to tell Thea a part of the truth. ‘He died a hero. He saved both of our lives. We wouldn’t be here today if it were not for him’ Sara said._

_Thea didn’t say anything for a while. She couldn’t believe it. A hero. Her brother? That didn’t sound like the person she knew. To her he was kind and selfless but to the outside world he was the complete opposite. She was proud that her brother became the person he was with her but she needed to be alone right now as she fought back the tears. Thea got up and ran out of the room. She knew she asked but that didn’t make hearing about her brother any easier._

* * *

 

Her life had improved since Laurel, Sara & Shado had convinced her to take the job at CRNI and to stop being a drunk and a junkie.  But something still bothered her. _Sara & Shado are the vigilantes. They have to be. I saw it. _She may have overdosed on vertigo but she knew what she had seen and she saw Sara & Shado dressed as the vigilante. However, she also saw her brother, who was covered in blood. She knew that couldn’t be real so she doubted herself about the theory that Sara & Shado were the vigilantes. If Shado and Sara truly were the vigilantes, then she would be proud of them. They are helping to save the city, even if some of their methods seemed extreme to her.

Thea trudged up the stairs of Queen Mansion. The house of quiet because it was late at night and also her mother was out of the city for the weekend. After work at CRNI, Thea spent some time with a few of her friends and by the time she had gotten home it was around 2AM. She just wanted fall into her bed and go to sleep but unfortunately for her that was not to be the case.

* * *

 

She walked into her room and placed her bag onto the floor. She went to turn on the lights in her room when two figures appeared from the shadows. She wanted to run away but she was frozen in fear. Her hand was already on the switch to turn on the light and she managed to press it. The light showed that the two-people stood a few feet from her were heavily armed with swords, bows, arrows & knives/daggers. She didn’t think she could get more terrified. They were wearing hoods that concealed a part of their faces so she didn’t know who these people were.

She wanted to talk and ask questions like _who are you_ and _why are you here_ but fear caused her to remain silent. The man, who looked around 6ft reached up and lowered his hood. Thea gasped and remained frozen as she saw her brother. _This can’t be happening. Sara & Shado said he was dead!_

Oliver saw her hesitation to move or talk so he spoke first. ‘It’s really me, Speedy. I didn’t die on that island’ he said softly.

When Thea heard the voice of her brother she knew that it was him and it wasn’t some sort of trick or hallucination. When he called her by the nickname he had for her, she ran over to him and jumped into his arms.  She held onto him tightly as she cried into his shoulder. Oliver too held onto her tightly. He looked over to Nyssa, who had removed her hood, and she smiled at the siblings embrace. ‘I missed you so much, Thea. I love you’ he said as she held onto him.

She didn’t want to let go of him in fear of losing him all over again. Tears still fell down her cheeks but she managed to respond to Oliver. ‘You have no idea how much I missed you, Ollie! I love you too’ she said as she tightened her hold on Oliver.

After a while, she retracted herself from Oliver and looked into the eyes of her older brother. He looked different but the same and that confused her. He no longer had the look of a carefree playboy but he still had the look of love for her in them. ‘How are you alive? Why didn’t you comeback sooner? Why do you have loads of weapons? Are you a vigilante too? Who is this with you?’ she asked so fast that Oliver and Nyssa could barely remember each question. ‘And why did you scare me like that’ she said as she hit her brother on the shoulder.

Oliver couldn’t help but smile at his younger sister. ‘Sorry, we didn’t know how to approach this. We didn’t mean to scare you’. Thea smiled up at Oliver as she knew he would never intentionally hurt or scare her. Ever.

‘How am I alive? That’s a long story and before you ask, it’s not one I’m interested in telling right now?’ he said.

‘And why the hell not?’ she said as she crossed her arms and tried to give him and angry look.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen you in nearly 6 years. We don’t need to talk about things that will only sadden you. I want to remember this as a happy moment and not one filled with hurt and darkness. I promise to tell you everything one day’.

Her anger left her as he promised to reveal everything to her and he had never lied to her. _Even after all this time, he still protects me._ She smiled at that thought. She had her protector back. She hugged him tightly again whilst more tears fell from her eyes. ‘I missed you’ she whispered again.

As she pulled back, Oliver wiped away her tears with his hands. ‘All your other questions tie into that first one you asked but I will tell you some of it right now. I couldn’t come back because my life is pledged to an organisation. They saved me and now I am them. Your next question was am I a vigilante? No, I’m not a vigilante. I’m… I’m an assassin’.

‘You…You’re…You’re what?’ Thea stuttered.

‘The organisation that saved me are called the League of Assassins and I know what you’re thinking but despite the name, a lot of their intentions are to restore balance to the world. Remove threats to society. I know what you must think of me but I’ve never been able to lie to you and I won’t start now’ Oliver said.

She was shocked at what Ollie said but she was sure that what he thought and what she thought were very different. ‘I don’t think you do. You think I think of you as a murderer. No, Ollie. What I see is a survivor. And you said you’re doing good for the world so I see the strongest person I’ve ever met. I see my brother who I love’ she said passionately.

Oliver grinned at her. ‘Thanks, Speedy’.

‘So, Sara and Shado are the vigilantes and what I saw was real. They lied right to my face about you’ Thea said whilst starting to get angry.

Nyssa had stood away as the siblings reconnected. However, she decided it was time for her to speak. ‘Do not blame them. It was not their secret to tell’ Nyssa said to the young woman.

Thea nodded in agreement. She understood that it was better this way. It meant more for Ollie to tell her than if Sara or Shado did. ‘So, Ollie are you going to tell me who this is?’ Thea asked.

‘Yeah of course. Thea, this is Nyssa…my wife’.

Thea mouth was open. _He’s changed so much. He’s married?_ ‘You’re married?! From what I can remember, you didn’t want to settle down’

‘When you meet the one, you know it’ Oliver said as his eyes found his wife’s. Thea saw the love in their eyes between them and she instantly knew that they both loved each other.

‘Welcome to the family’ Thea said to Nyssa.

‘Thank you. Oliver has told me so much about you but I’m happy that I’ve finally met you in person’ Nyssa replied.

‘So, you’re an assassin too? Thea asked.

‘Yes’ Nyssa responded.

‘The leader of the League of Assassins is named Ra’s al Ghul. It means the Demon’s head. Nyssa is his daughter. Her full name is Nyssa al Ghul’ Oliver informed Thea.

‘Trust you to join an organisation called the League of Assassins and manage to get the leaders daughter to fall for you, who might I add is really hot’ Thea said.

Nyssa blushed slightly but thanked her sister-in-law for the compliment. ‘What can I say, Speedy. I have irresistible charm’ Oliver added.

Nyssa scoffed at Oliver. ‘Where was your charm in those first few months. If I remember correctly, you tried to avoid me as much as possible’.

‘You avoided me too. You felt the connection between us just as much as I did and it scared you too’ Oliver replied.

* * *

 

_4 Years Ago:_

_It had been two weeks since Oliver Queen had arrived in Nanda Parbat. With the help of some of the doctors there, he had recovered enough from all of his injuries to face Ra’s al Ghul. He had known for a few days now that he would face Ra’s al Ghul soon and the day had finally arrived. A couple of assassins arrived at his room and escorted him to the main hall._

_The large doors were opened by two more assassins and Oliver stepped into the room. In the room was Nyssa, the woman who had saved him and who had first talked to him. She had not come back to see him since and he didn’t know whether to be glad or disappointed. He knew that it would be foolish to fall for the daughter of the demon and he hadn’t fallen for her but there was something about her that intrigued him and gravitated him towards her._

_He shook his head and tried to get Nyssa out of his head. From what she told him, he could very well die today and that’s something he wasn’t too interested in. He knew what he’d do if he survived this. He’d avoid Nyssa as much as possible and try not to do something that would get him killed._

_Next to Nyssa was a man wearing an elegant robe who Oliver correctly assumed was Ra’s al Ghul. ‘Leave us’ Ra’s commanded. All the assassins left, leaving just Oliver, Nyssa & Ra’s. ‘My daughter said you spent two years in hell, Mr Queen’. He motioned for Oliver to walk towards him. He looked into Oliver blue eyes and saw a selfish young man toughened by circumstances. He saw that the young playboy had been dead for a long-time and in his place a strong man was forged from pain & suffering. The man was not lying. He had been in his own version of hell and had survived. ‘I’ve looked into your eyes boy and I see your pain, I see all you’ve suffered. Tell me Mr Queen, why shouldn’t I end your suffering right now?’_

_‘Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. I’ve chosen to no longer suffer so killing me would be pointless. I’m no longer suffering’ Oliver replied._

_Ra’s turned his head to his daughter and said ‘I like this one. He’s smart and he’s already learned one of our lessons before even starting his training. Now let’s see what he can do’. He faced Oliver once again. ‘You will follow my daughter to where the new recruits are trained. It’s time to see if you’re fit for life in the League of Assassins, Mr Queen’._

_Nyssa led Oliver to where the newer members were training. The room was huge and there were a vast number of different types of weapons. There were swords, bows, crossbows, bo-staffs, knives, daggers, tomahawks and many more. Oliver was in awe but was quickly brought back to reality when Nyssa spoke sharply at him. ‘Pick a weapon. Now’. She seemed a lot nicer when they first met, Oliver thought. As they entered, she had ordered everyone to leave the room so it was just her and Oliver._

_Ra’s had entered the room undetected as he wanted to see what the boy could do. He stood in a corner far away from his daughter and Oliver. Oliver picked up a bow and moved it around in his hands, trying to get a feel for its weight. He hands ghosted over the bow-string and he stared intently at it. Oliver picked up a quiver full of arrows and slung it across his back. ‘Hit the targets’ Nyssa ordered. There were multiple targets all across the room._

_Oliver closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Nyssa was getting impatient. She didn’t want to be here with Oliver. She was attracted to him and she didn’t know why so she wanted to get as far away as possible from him. Unfortunately, that plan was scuppered by her father when he told her to accompany Oliver. So now, she just wanted to get this over with and let others train him._

_After about 10 seconds, Oliver opened his eyes and Nyssa saw the steely gaze he had. He hadn’t looked at her yet but she saw the determined look in his eyes. He then gave her a quick glance and what she could only describe as a cocky smirk._

_Oliver withdrew his first arrow and fired immediately into the target. He didn’t bother to look to see if it hit the centre because he withdrew another arrow and fired it at another target across the room. He continued to withdraw arrow after arrow and fire them at an immensely high speed, not even looking at most of his targets. Once there were no more arrows in the quiver, he turned and faced Nyssa. ‘Am I good enough for you?’ he said sarcastically to the shocked Nyssa. Each arrow was embedded directly through the centre of its target._

_Nyssa knew Oliver was an archer but she didn’t think he was naturally this good. She smirked at him and he smirked right back at her. ‘Oh shit, I like him’ she thought._

_Meanwhile, Ra’s al Ghul looked on and was very impressed with what he saw from Oliver Queen. ‘Al Sah-Him’ he whispered._

* * *

 

‘It’s nice to see you like this’ Thea said to Oliver.

‘Like what?’ he asked

‘Happy’ she replied.

‘I truly am’ he said. They continued talking for another half an hour before Oliver said ‘I think Nyssa & I should go home. It’s really late and we’re tired. If you need me for anything, use this phone to contact me or Nyssa’. He handed Thea the phone and got up to leave.

‘Wait! This is home. This is OUR home. Please don’t go, Ollie!’ Thea begged.

‘We can stay tonight but not after that. Nyssa & I’s home is thousands of miles from here but we have a place in the city too. It’s too dangerous for us to stay here. People will figure out that I’m back if I stay here but for tonight we’ll stay’.

‘What about mom? You need to tell her when she comes home’ Thea said.

‘No. Not yet. If I tell her now, she’ll never stop looking for me and that will get her killed’ Oliver said. Oliver effectively ended the conversation when he took Nyssa’s hand in his own and led them out of Thea’s bedroom.

The couple walked down the hall until they reached Oliver’s old bedroom. They entered it and it seemed like nothing had changed according to Oliver. ‘Once upon a time this was my bedroom’ Oliver told Nyssa.

‘You mean where you seduced multiple woman’ Nyssa joked.

‘Yup!’ Oliver replied. He turned to face her, reached out to her and brought her close to him. His hands were on her waist as they looked into each other’s eyes. ‘Like I’ve told you many times, that was a life time ago. It’s me and you now & forever’.

‘I know, beloved. I just like messing with you’ Nyssa said. She leaned up and kissed him passionately. Oliver responded to her kiss with equal passion.

Meanwhile, Thea walked towards Oliver’s room to say goodnight to him and her new sister-in-law. When she got to the door, she saw the couple passionately kissing one another. She smiled at them. _I have my brother back. I have new member in my family. I’m finally happy_ she thought as she walked back towards her own bedroom. 


	20. Speedy?

Oliver woke up at 8AM the next day. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep but he wasn’t too tired. It felt so weird to be back in the bed he slept in for years. He felt like he was out of place. What wasn’t out of place though was Nyssa resting her head on Oliver’s chest. He opened his eyes and saw her sleeping peacefully and he didn’t want to wake her but they had places to be.

He pushed her shoulder gently but she didn’t react. He nudged her slightly harder and she began to stir. ‘Stop’ she mumbled. She buried her head further into his shoulder and moved herself so she was lying on top of Oliver. Oliver couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her. He loved these moments where they didn’t wake up and need to commence league business straightaway.

* * *

 

Thea had also woken up quite early. She wanted to spend as much time with Ollie as possible before he had to go to wherever he needed to go to. She quickly got out of her bed and walked over to the bathroom that was connected to her room. She brushed her teeth and decided to put on a hoodie as it was quite cold in the mansion at 8AM. She walked over to Ollie’s room and listened outside of the door to see if her brother was up yet. She couldn’t hear any noise so she slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Inside the room, she saw Ollie stroking Nyssa’s hair with one hand whilst the other held her close. He whispered something in Nyssa’s ear but Thea couldn’t hear what he said. Nyssa kissed Oliver’s neck, all the way up to his jaw. Oliver whispered into Nyssa’s ear again and it made both of them laugh. It felt like an eternity since Thea had heard that laugh by Ollie and she couldn’t be happier that it’s back.

As she was thinking, she appeared to space out because she didn’t realise both Oliver & Nyssa were calling her name. She snapped out of it to see Nyssa kneeling on the bed in one of Oliver’s old t shirts, whilst Oliver was about to get off of the bed. He walked over to her and she could see the scars all over his body. She didn’t know if he had scars above his knees because he was wearing shorts but if it was anything like his chest, the answer was yes.

As Oliver walked over to Thea, he realised he wasn’t wearing a shirt and his sister just saw all of the scars he had obtained. _Shit_. He quickly ran over to his walk-in wardrobe and grabbed a plain white t shirt and put it on. It was really tight and he felt like if he moved his arms it might tear apart. He had put on a lot of muscle mass in the past 6 years so his old clothes didn’t fit him but both his old t shirts  & current ones were perfect for Nyssa to wear at night.

Whilst he had been searching in his walk-in wardrobe, Nyssa had gone into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. He walked over to where his assassin clothes and weapons were and grabbed his bow. ‘Hey Speedy, do you remember when you were into archery?’

Thea smiled at the memory. She loved it but after Oliver was presumed dead, her passion for almost everything disappeared. In their place was drugs & alcohol. ‘I do. I was pretty good at it too. How good are you with it? Do you only use compound bows or are you good with recurve bows too?’ Thea asked.

Oliver smiled at her enthusiasm about bows. ‘Yes Speedy, I can use both. I’m…’

He didn’t get the chance to finish because Nyssa walked back into the room and replied for him. ‘He’s the best I’ve ever seen’. She then sat down with her legs crossed on the bed. ‘I don’t like to brag, but I’m quite amazing too’.

Oliver coughed as he tried to hold in the laugh but he couldn’t. ‘You don’t like to brag?’ he asked incredulously. ‘This is coming from the woman who introduces herself as _Nyssa al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, heir to the demon’._

‘It’s not bragging when it’s a fact, beloved’ Nyssa informed Oliver. He just shrugged his shoulders as he kind of agreed with her point. _Anyway, she IS amazing_ he thought.

Oliver told Thea to sit on the bed with Nyssa. Thea did and she was enjoying the interaction between Ollie & Nyssa. She liked Nyssa and she was glad that Oliver had settled down with someone who was perfect for him. Oliver then picked up his bow and pulled out an arrow from his quiver and moved to the other side of the room. He was standing by the walk-in wardrobe and it was probably one of the furthest points from the bed. Thea was really confused at what Ollie was doing. She missed the slight nod that Ollie gave to Nyssa but then in a blink of an eye, he nocked the arrow and fired it.

The arrow flew through the air and went right past her eyes. As she turned her head, she saw Nyssa holding the arrow right at the centre of her forehead. She looked between the two with a bewildered expression on her face whilst the married couple were just calm and waiting for her to talk. ‘WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, OLLE! You shot an arrow at your own wife! Again, WHAT THE FUCK?’ she shouted at her older brother. ‘And you’ Thea pointed at Nyssa ‘why are you so calm? Your husband just shot an arrow at your head!’

‘Because sister-in-law, I knew what he was going to do. Plus, he would never ever intentionally hurt me just like I would ever never intentionally hurt him’ Nyssa told Thea.

‘Hey, you’re the one who wanted to know how good I am with my bow! And now you also know that Nyssa can easily catch arrows like that’ Ollie said he sat down on a chair that was located near the bed.

_He is really good. I really liked archery when I was a kid. Maybe I could ask them to teach me?_ Thea didn’t know how to go about asking two badass assassins to teach her to use a bow & arrow again. Thea had always believed being blunt was the best way to go when asking Ollie for anything. ‘Could you two teach me? I mean I was quite good before but I want to become really good’ she asked.

Nyssa looked at Oliver and knew what he was thinking. _He’s thinking what if it doesn’t stop at archery. What if she wants actual training or wants to be a vigilante like Sara & Shado. _Nyssa understood his reasons for being wary of teaching Thea but just like Thea, she was the younger sibling and she knew how it felt to ask your older sibling and for them to not help you. Whilst what Nyssa asked Talia for was complexed and Talia felt that Nyssa was too young, Thea was not too young to become a master archer. ‘Of course, Thea. It will help you reconnect with Oliver, although from the bond that I see the two of you share, I don’t think you need any reconnecting. Furthermore, it will help us bond’.

Oliver wasn’t particularly happy but it meant that he got to spend time with his sister and Nyssa would bond with Thea. _Maybe this will be better than I thought._ ‘I guess we can teach you’.

‘We don’t need to bond, Nyssa. I already love you. You were there for my brother when he was all alone. You’re his wife and I see how much he loves you. But I’m sure the more time we spend together, I’ll feel like you’re the sister I never had’ Thea said.

‘I love you too. I can’t say you’re the sister I never had because I have 2. You’ll love them both. You’re kind of a mixture of them both. Like Talia, you’re strong and fierce and like Aaliyah, you’re compassionate and confident from what Oliver tells me’ Nyssa said.

Thea beamed at her when Nyssa said she loves her too. ‘So, are they both in Starling too?’ she asked.

‘Talia is away whilst Aaliyah is currently at our base. Talia is Nyssa’s sister by blood whilst Aaliyah is kind of our adopted sister. She’s become one to us. She’s around your age’ Oliver said.

‘Adopted?’ Thea said with an eye brow raised.

‘It’s more her story to tell but like I told her when Nyssa, Aaliyah & I came back to Starling, you’re my sister too. I love you, Thea’ he said. The way he said, ‘I love you’ was still exactly the same as how he said that to her before he disappeared and it made Thea jump off the bed and jump into his arms and hug tightly.

‘I love you too, Ollie’.

After a few seconds, Thea let go and Oliver stood up. ‘We have quite a lot to do today, so we’ve got to be going. Remember, use the phone if you need anything and for your archery lessons, we’ll contact you on that phone’.

‘Okay’ Thea replied.

‘And if you don’t mind, Nyssa and I would like to come around here and spend time with you. I’ve missed you for so long and therefore I want to spend time with you’ Oliver asked.

‘Of course, you can. I want to spend as much time as possible with you as well. Both of you’ Thea said whilst smiling.

Thea left Oliver’s room and soon, both Oliver & Nyssa had showered and were back in their assassin outfits. They walked into Thea’s room and told her they were going now. They both gave her a hug before departing Queen Mansion.

* * *

 

They were still on the grounds of Queen Mansion and Oliver & Nyssa walked over so they were sat below a tree. They had their hoods covering their faces just in case, but they were far from the mansion so no-one should see them anyway. Oliver had called one of the assassins to pick them up because they couldn’t go around the city during the day dressed as they were. As they were sitting, Oliver asked Nyssa a question. ‘How do you think that went?’

‘I think that went perfectly, beloved. She very well could’ve hated you for being an assassin but she doesn’t. She loves you no matter what’ Nyssa replied.

‘I’m glad. And I’m glad she loves you too’ he said.

‘What about when it’s time to go back to Nanda Parbat? I know that was why you didn’t want her knowing that you’re here’ Nyssa asked.

‘We told her last night that our home is far from here. Just because I don’t live here anymore doesn’t mean that we cannot visit here. She’ll have to accept that this isn’t my home anymore but I’ll be there for her when she needs me. We both will’ he said.

‘We both will’ she agreed.

‘What will your father think of us continuously returning here for my sister?’ Oliver questioned.

‘We are demons. We do what we want’ Nyssa asserted. ‘Plus, father & I have discussed it in the past’.

‘Discussed what?’ he asked.

‘You. Just before we were married he told me he knew that a large part of Oliver Queen remained instead of you being entirely Al Sah-Him. Whilst he thought he would’ve been angry because it’s our law to forgo our previous lives, he saw the same strength that I see in you. The strength to still be yourself. I told him about your sister and he said when the day comes, he’ll let you see your sister. He even offered to allow her to join the league and for us to train her. I know you’d never want that life for her but you have to think, does she want this?’ she said.

‘You’re right I would never want this for her. But I know my sister. She’ll want to learn how to fight like us. She won’t stop until she gets what she wants. It’s what I love about her but also what sometimes annoys me; She’s persistent. She’ll want to be like us but she’s not like us; she’s not a killer’ Oliver remarked.

‘That Diggle guy seems to be showing Sara & Shado a different way. A non-killing way. Of course, we’d never believe in that method but maybe he’d be the right mentor for Thea’ Nyssa suggested.

‘Perhaps’ he said.

‘But first we train her. I know you want to protect her and I do too. Maybe the best way to protect her is to show her how to defend herself. We train her 5x harder, 10x harder than anyone before her’ Nyssa proclaimed.

‘If she truly wants to then we have no choice, we train her. She’ll never stop and I don’t want her to be forced to turn to people like Al Sa-Her. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, she just wants archery training right now. If she wants to learn more, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’ Oliver said.

‘You’re right, beloved. Anyway, we need to have a discussion Sara, Shado & their team’ Nyssa said as they both got up off the grass and got into the car that pulled up next to them. ‘Take us to Verdant’ Nyssa ordered.

‘You know, you kind of defended Sara & Shado last night’ Oliver said.

‘Not really, I just told Thea it was better for you to tell her than them. Your sister will still rip into them at a later date, I didn’t want her to be angry when you were reunited’ Nyssa replied. Oliver just smiled in response.

* * *

 

Oliver & Nyssa got out of the car once they had arrived at Verdant. They walked in through the front entrance and the club was mostly dark apart from some light from behind the bars. As the club had closed for the night a few hours ago, no-one was in the building. They walked over to the back of the club where there was a door that led to the basement. Nyssa typed the four-digit code which unlocked the large door. She opened the door and closed it once her & Oliver were past it. They walked down the steps into a room that was in complete darkness. Oliver walked slowly towards a wall where he found a lever which was used to turn on the power. He pushed it up and all the lights turned on as well as all of the computers.

‘So, what do you want to do whilst we wait for them?’ Oliver asked.

‘I don’t know’ Nyssa responded.

Oliver walked over to a table where one of Felicity’s computers were. On the table was a worn-out book. Oliver picked it and immediately opened it to reveal a list of names. He had left the list on the island and since he had never been back to Lian Yu, he never got a chance to reclaim it. However, Ra’s had informed him that two women had his father’s list so he knew Sara & Shado must’ve been back on Lian Yu at some point. He turned a few pages, reading some of the names that were left and some that had been crossed out. Nyssa stared intently at her husband but didn’t say anything whilst he looked over the book.

Oliver put the book down on the table and turned around to Nyssa. ‘Do you want to have some fun?’ he asked with a smirk.

‘What do you want to do?’ she asked whilst a similar smirk appeared on her face.

‘Let’s play a game’ he replied. He walked over to a bucket full of tennis balls. He counted how many were in there. ‘There are 10 tennis balls in here. Let’s see who can hit the most’.

‘That’s not fair! You know you’re better at this. Let’s do something with swords!’ she exclaimed.

‘There’s not enough room here for us to have a proper spar with swords. This is all we can do’ he said.

‘Fine, but if you win don’t start bragging’ she muttered.

‘Ha, if I win’ he whispered to himself.

Nyssa & Oliver got their bows ready. Oliver’s hand was on the bucket of tennis balls and he was ready to release them. ‘You ready?’ he asked his wife. She nodded in response. ‘3…2…1…GO!’ he said.

As soon as the tennis balls were in the air, Oliver & Nyssa fired arrow after arrow into the tennis balls. Each arrow hit the centre and after about 5 seconds all of them were stuck to the ball with an arrow in its centre. Oliver could tell he had won as 6 of his arrows were embedded in the tennis balls compared to Nyssa’s 4. They could tell the difference between their arrows because Nyssa’s were red with a black arrowhead whilst Oliver’s was the opposite; they were black with a red arrowhead. Before he married Nyssa, Oliver used the standard black arrows like other members of The League of Assassins but since their wedding, he incorporated her colour into his arrows and she had done the same by making her arrowhead black to integrate Oliver’s colour into her arrows.

Nyssa looked at Oliver and saw his smug smile. ‘I wouldn’t get too cocky, beloved. They have some escrima sticks over there. Let’s use them’ she said as they both retrieved their arrows and put them back in their respective quivers. Oliver smug smile vanished but he still had an air of confidence around him because it wasn’t like she was going to destroy him. It would be a while until she most likely would defeat him.

They both placed their bows on the table by the computers and moved into the only space that was large enough to spar in. Although, even that was small in comparison to what Nyssa & Oliver were used to. Nyssa chucked two of the sticks to Oliver and they began.

Oliver stepped forward and swiftly lunged at Nyssa with both sticks. Nyssa parried the attacks with both of hers before she swung one stick at Oliver. He ducked underneath it and tried to use on stick to hit her stomach but she stepped back to avoid it. They fought at an unreal pace but to them this was just warming up. Both decided to step up the intensity after a few minutes of countering each other. Nyssa launched a blistering attack at Oliver forcing him to step backwards due to the strength in her attack. He managed to block a few but a couple hit his arms.

The force of Nyssa’s blow to Oliver’s arm made Oliver drop one stick. He swore loudly which made Nyssa smirk. Nyssa forced him further away from his stick until it was behind her. Oliver brought up his one remaining stick to protect himself but he was in no position to make an attack himself. Oliver quickly weighed up his options and it didn’t look good for him unless he did something soon. _There!_ Oliver thought as Nyssa made her first mistake. She tried to land both sticks on his upper body and he ducked underneath it, jumped & rolled past Nyssa to his other escrima stick. He picked it up and remained in his crouched position as he turned his head to Nyssa. He smirked at her whilst she smiled innocently back at him.

They continued their intense battle as their sticks collided together. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the foundry. The sound of the clashing sticks would’ve been too loud for normal people to hear the door to the foundry open but to the highly skilled assassins, that was not the case. Nonetheless, they continued to fight each other just as hard and just as fast as before. The whole at Team Arrow was in awe of their speed and precision. From the corner of Oliver’s eye, he saw Felicity pick up his bow. She was just looking at it to see if she could get one like it for Shado but that distraction allowed Nyssa to end the sparring session. Oliver only managed to clip Nyssa’s shoulder as she mostly got out of the way of the stick. He swerved away from one of the sticks that were aimed at his head but he didn’t see the other due to the distraction. Nyssa brought the stick across his face but stopped right as it touched his cheek. She lightly tapped his cheek with the stick and playfully said ‘I win’.

‘You got lucky’ he whispered to her.

‘You were lucky that I didn’t want to hurt that pretty face of yours’ she whispered back at him which made him grin.

* * *

 

Team Arrow approached the two assassins with Shado stepping forward in front of the other three. ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.

‘I told Thea’ Oliver said.

‘Good!’ Shado said happily.

‘How did she react?’ Sara asked, who was also happy that Oliver was reunited with Thea.

‘She jumped into my arms, cried and never wanted to let go’ he said with a smile.

‘Whilst I’d like to say we were here to inform you about Oliver & Thea reuniting, that is not the case. When we first told you about the undertaking, we said a former member of the league was behind it. His name is Al Sa-Her or The Magician. Up until last night, neither Oliver nor myself knew who he was. But last night, after the you captured The Count we were on our way here and we ran into a member of the league. He was dressed just like all our other members but no-one should’ve been in the area we were in. We followed him and Oliver battled Al Sa-Her. Oliver utterly obliterated him but unfortunately my beloved here forgot why I named him _The Magician._ He managed to escape using his trickery even in his broken body’ Nyssa said.

‘Damn’ Diggle said. ‘But if he’s injured surely that means you bought us some time. He won’t do the undertaking if he’s badly hurt, right?’

‘Maybe but also maybe not. He may want to speed up his undertaking now that he knows Nyssa & I are on to him and know exactly who he is’ Oliver said.

‘You know who he is? Who is he?’ Shado asked eagerly.

Oliver took a deep breath as he still couldn’t believe that Tommy’s father is responsible for the undertaking. ‘Al Sa-Her is…Malcolm Merlyn’.


	21. It Begins

‘Malcolm Merlyn…’ Sara stammered.

‘As in your sister’s boyfriends father? That guy?’ Shado asked.

‘Yeah…’Sara said disbelievingly. ‘It makes sense though. He went away for a few years and came back cold and distant. I’ve always known there was something not right about him. He used to be a good dad to Tommy but ever since he came back he’s been closed-off’.

‘Tommy’s with Laurel?’ Oliver asked.              

Nyssa looked at him and said ‘that’s what you’re taking out of this? Laurel is in a relationship with your best friend?’ Nyssa wasn’t jealous at all of Laurel because Oliver had proved over & over again that she was the only one for him. However, that was not always the case and when she found out that Oliver had a picture of Laurel, she had been a little jealous.

* * *

 

_Two and a half Years Ago:_

_Nyssa was late to a training session with her father and she couldn’t find her sword. She was searching her room when she saw something. It was a photo of a woman. She picked it up and looked at it for a moment. Oliver had just walked back into the bedroom after having a shower and froze when he saw what was in Nyssa’s hand. She turned around and had a look of fury in her eyes. She dropped the photo onto their bed and stormed out. As she left she shouted ‘I’m late. We’ll talk about this later!’_

_She returned a few hours later to find Oliver nowhere to be seen. He was in none of their rooms. Some of her anger was spent fighting her father so she had calmed down a bit. Oliver arrived a few minutes later and there was an awkward silence. ‘That woman in the photo is Laurel. You already know some of the story. She gave me strength to continue to fight on the island even when I wanted to die’ he explained._

_‘Do you love her?’ Nyssa asked cautiously._

_‘Maybe a long time ago but I was a stupid kid back then. I didn’t know what love was back then. That kid has been long dead. I don’t love her. I wish I could apologise to her for everything I did but it would never be enough’ he said. He led her to their bedroom where Laurel’s picture was still on their bed. He picked up the picture and tore it in half. ‘I don’t need her. I don’t love her. I need you. I love you, Nyssa’ he said as he got closer to her and their lips met._

_‘I love you too’ she said as she kissed him again and all her worries faded. ‘I don’t want there to be anything between us. I want to know everything about you and I want you to know everything about me’._

_‘Okay. Just try not to judge me for everything before I met you’ he said._

_That night they told each other everything about themselves and by the next morning, they were closer than ever with nothing standing between them. It has been that way ever since that night. They never lie to each other._

* * *

 

‘It’s just a question’ Oliver said innocently.

‘Yes. They got together recently but something was going on whilst we were away. You okay?’ Sara asked.

‘Of course, I’m fine. I’m glad that they’re happy. Anyway, it’s not like either one of us could judge either of them after what we did. Maybe if I wasn’t married and happy with Nyssa it would hurt but I just feel pleased for them’ Oliver told Sara.

‘That’s good, Ollie’ Sara said and Nyssa nodded in agreement.

‘So, what are we going to do about Malcolm Merlyn?’ Felicity asked, getting the group back on topic for once as it’s usually her babbling about something that isn’t important.

‘You are the League of Assassins. Surely you have the resources to find him and take him down?’ Diggle asked.

‘Oh, don’t doubt us we have the resources Mr Diggle, and it’s not a question of if we can take him down. Oliver easily defeated him in single combat which means I can do the same. The difficulty is finding him. That’s where you come in Miss Smoak. I hear you excel in these situations’ Nyssa said.

‘Please call me Felicity and yeah, I’ll be happy to help’ Felicity replied.

‘You don’t have anyone as skilled as Felicity?’ Shado asked, not feeling that happy that Oliver & Nyssa were using a member of her team.

‘We do. None of them happen to be in Starling City’ Oliver responded.

‘We want to be there when you stop him’ Sara said boldly.

Oliver looked at her like she’s gone crazy. ‘You do understand that he’s on a totally different level to you right? If you end up fighting him, he will kill you. No ifs, no maybes…He will kill you. There’s no way you’re going’.

‘So, you do still care about me’ she quipped.

‘Al Sa-Her is our business. Not yours’ Nyssa told Sara.

‘We still need to find out what this undertaking actually is, just in case’ Diggle pointed out and everyone in the room agreed with the man.

‘There’s only one way to find out right now and Ollie, you’re not going to like it’ Sara said with a sad expression on her face.

‘What is it?’ Oliver growled.

‘You told Thea who you really are? She trusts you now. We need to use her to get answers out of your mom. She’s connected to the undertaking. We have proof she was in a meeting with someone and she mentioned that the undertaking is going as planned. We now know thanks to the two of you, that this must’ve been Malcolm Merlyn’ Sara explained.

Oliver & Nyssa’s eyes turned cold and the face conveyed a deadly expression. ‘You want us to use my baby sister to get answers out of my mother?’ Oliver said with pure disdain.

‘No, I don’t Ollie! But do you have another idea?!’ Sara shouted.

‘Use me. You’ll get the answers you want if you use me instead of Thea’ Oliver demanded.

‘Husband, no’ Nyssa pleaded.

‘Nyssa, this is how we get the answers we need. It’s the only way. Besides, I’m sure Diggle, Sara & Shado want to hit me after what we’ve done to them and now they can without me being able to retaliate’ Oliver told his wife.

Nyssa walked forward and stood between Oliver & Team Arrow. ‘None of you will touch my husband or I will kill you. If you want to use Oliver, then we do it my way. I’m the one who’s going to get the answers out of Moira Queen, not any of you’. Nyssa turned around and stepped closer to Oliver. ‘No-one touches you but me’ she told him as she placed a hand on his cheek. He smiled down at her and nodded.

Nyssa turned back around, still with an angry expression on her face. ‘We know you and you’re going to ignore us and come to the final battle. Don’t get in our way’ Nyssa said gravely. ‘Al Sa-Her is a former member of the League of Assassins. He follows our laws, not yours. Your justice system won’t stop him. No prison can hold him. He has been sentenced to death for breaking our code. DO NOT INTERFERE’.

‘You…You can’t be the judge, jury & executioner’ Diggle exclaimed.

‘Of course we can. We are the heirs to the demon’ Nyssa asserted.

‘You think someone as dangerous as him should be allowed to live? That’s what makes you weak Diggle. You lack the courage and fortitude to do what is necessary. Nyssa & I do not. The next time you see Al Sa-Her, he will dead’ Oliver said. Diggle wanted to say _what makes you so different to him. You’re far more dangerous than him_ but he held his tongue. Oliver caught the look Diggle gave him but decided he’d address that at a later date.

They turned to walk out of the foundry but Sara ran up to them and tugged Oliver’s arm to make him turn around. ‘He’s your best friend’s father. Don’t you think Tommy would want you to spare him?’ Sara asked.

‘That means nothing to me!’ Oliver spat coldly whilst his eyes narrowed at Sara. ‘Tommy’s wishes are not my concern’.

Oliver & Nyssa walked out of the foundry leaving a stunned Sara behind. _What’s happened to him for him not to care about Tommy?_ Nonetheless, hopefully for Team Arrow & the cities sake, Oliver & Nyssa will have the answers to what the undertaking exactly is.

* * *

 

Once they exited the foundry, they got into the car that was waiting for them in order to drive back to their headquarters. ‘I can’t believe they had the nerve to question us on what we do to Al Sa-Her’ Oliver said.

‘Doesn’t matter what they think, beloved. We’re going to kill him. More specifically, I am going to kill him since it’s my turn next’ Nyssa said happily.

‘Felicity touched my bow’ Oliver complained.

‘I know. I’ll be having a pointed conversation with her later. And after that perhaps we should exact some revenge on her’ Nyssa commented.

‘How so?’ he asked.

‘That bow means a lot to you just like my sword means a lot to me’ Nyssa replied. ‘What means a lot to Felicity?’

A smirk appeared on both of their faces as Oliver said ‘her computers’.

‘Her computers’ Nyssa said in agreement.

* * *

 

They arrived back at their league base. They walked through the doors and were met immediately by a worried looking Aaliyah. They continued to walk further into the building and put their bows in their holders as well as all their other weapons.

‘Where have you been? I was worried’ Aaliyah said nervously. She had spent the previous night worrying about Oliver & Nyssa. They were on what looked like on paper an easy mission. They were going to capture and kill The Count but when they hadn’t returned, Aaliyah got worried.

Nyssa and Oliver scoffed at her. ‘Have a little faith in the heirs to the demon, little sister’ Nyssa said. They both saw the hurt look she gave them and they both felt bad.

‘Sorry, but we can take care of ourselves’ Oliver said. ‘But thanks for worrying about us’. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her small frame. She was only around 5ft tall. She hugged him back. They broke apart and Oliver & Nyssa started explaining why they didn’t come back last night.

‘After the count, we ran into Al Sa-Her. He…’ Nyssa started.

‘Al Sa-Her?! You found him?’ Aaliyah said in astonishment as she ran a hand through her long dark hair.

‘I was getting to that if you’d be so kind and not interrupt’ Nyssa said sarcastically.

‘Sorry’ Aaliyah responded sheepishly.

‘So, we found Al-Sa-Her. He refused to surrender. He thought that Al-Sah-Him was weak and so he challenged him. Needless to say, that didn’t end well for him. Unfortunately, he did manage to escape. We went to Verdant and they convinced us to go see Thea. We did and it went great. We spent the night in Al-Sah-Him’s old bedroom. Thea is eager to meet you’ Nyssa said. She used Al-Sah-Him instead of ‘Oliver’ because they were in the presence of other league members.

‘She is?’ Aaliyah asked.

‘Yup’ Oliver replied. ‘We’re going teach her how to shoot a bow & arrow’.

Aaliyah’s eyes lit up in excitement. ‘That’ll be fun! It’ll be nice to practice with someone my own age’ _and someone who is not as good as me. I love Oliver & Nyssa but it’s frustrating not being as good as they are._

‘Yes, it will be but first we have an important job we need to do. We need to extract some information from Al-Sah-Him’s mother. It won’t be easy for you to do. You up for it?’ Nyssa asked.

Aaliyah tapped her foot on the ground as she pondered the question. _I have to be ready. They’ve placed so much faith in me but if she said it won’t be easy then it will be difficult._ ‘I’m ready’ she assured the two assassins.

‘Good. We’re going to…err… we’re going to batter Al-Sah-Him in front of his mother until she gives us the answers we need’ Nyssa explained. Nyssa would’ve much rather have done this a different way but they needed answers and they needed them now. Plus, she knew Oliver wouldn’t let her torture his mother for answers so this was the only way to get the answers without harming her physically.

‘You’re…You’re serious?’ Aaliyah asked.

‘Very’ Oliver confirmed. ‘It was either this or using Thea. My sister & I are the quickest ways to get answers out of my mother’.

‘Okay. When do we start?’ she questioned.

‘Well that’s where we encounter a problem. Thea informed me that my mother won’t be back until Monday. That’s two days that Al Sa-Her has to complete his undertaking’ Oliver said.

‘Hunt Malcolm Merlyn. Inform everyone. If he is not found in two days then we get answers from Moira Queen’ Nyssa ordered.

Once they were alone Nyssa turned to Oliver with a sympathetic look. ‘’You didn’t have to do that’ Nyssa said.

‘What other options were there?! We need the info and this is how we get it’ Oliver snapped.

‘I don’t know! But surely there’s a better plan than this out there’ Nyssa exclaimed.

‘Perhaps. I’m open to suggestions until Monday but after that we do it my way’ he said.

The weekend was a long one for the assassins. They infiltrated Malcolm Merlyn’s house and building but didn’t find any trace of him or any plans for his undertaking. All they found was another copy of the list. It was an exact copy of the one Oliver’s father had. The lack of any significant progress had Oliver restless.

‘It’s time’ Oliver announced.

* * *

 

It was late in the evening when Oliver, Nyssa & Aaliyah decided to ‘interrogate’ Moira Queen. She was in the den in Queen Mansion when the lights in the whole house went out. A tranquiliser dart was fired into her neck and within seconds she was unconscious. The trio walked in and Oliver picked up his unconscious mother.

Thea ran into the room in a panicked state. She saw the shadows of three people and using the light on her phone, she saw that two of them were Oliver & Nyssa. ‘Ollie, what the hell are you doing?’.

Oliver sighed in frustration. He was hoping to avoid his sister in this situation but unfortunately that was not to be the case. ‘Mom & Dad were not the people we thought they were’ Oliver started. Thea thought about it and she had a suspicion her mother was involved with Malcolm Merlyn, so she knew Oliver was right about something. ‘They got involved in something dangerous. Time’s running out and I need to know the answers and I need them now’ he explained.

‘You…You’re not going to torture her or hurt her right’ she asked worriedly. In her heart, she didn’t believe Ollie would ever hurt his family but who knows about assassin Ollie. She just knew deep down Ollie would never hurt her but their mother and all her faults? _I hope not but who knows._

‘No, I would never do that to our mother. We’re the most important people in mom’s life. By hurting me, we can get the answers we need. I’m sorry but I don’t have time for anything else. We’ll talk soon. Love you’ Oliver said as he & Nyssa walked out.

She sighed in relief and yelled ‘love you too!’ to the departing figures.

‘Nice to meet you. I’m Aaliyah by the way’ Aaliyah said introducing herself.

‘I’m Thea. So, you’re the other sister Oliver & Nyssa said they have’ Thea said.

‘Yup. Sorry, but I gotta go too. It’s gonna be fun to have you training with a bow & arrow with us. I’ll see you later!’ Aaliyah said as she too rushed out of the room. The lights turned back on with Thea still standing in the den looking partially shocked. _Still can’t believe my playboy brother is an assassin. Not only that but he’s one of the best in world._

* * *

 

Moira Queen awoke in a dark room tied to a chair. She tried to break the rope that had her tied to the chair but it was no use, she couldn’t escape. She looked around the room but she couldn’t really see much. The only light in the room were the dim lights above her and another one opposite her. She was scared and some tears fell down her cheek. She worried about Thea as Thea was also in the house when she was kidnapped.

Two hooded individuals walked into the room and Moira turned her head to see her captors. ‘What do you want?’ she cried. ‘I have money. Tell me what you want’. Her captors were armed with a lot of weapons and it reminded Moira of Malcolm’s ‘enforcer’. They dragged along with them a muscular man who wasn’t wearing a shirt. He had scars all over his body and she felt sad for everything he must’ve gone through. She pitied him until she began to worry if this was her fate as well. She couldn’t see the man’s face as he was looking down to the ground.

They roughly pushed the man into the chair that was opposite to Moira. Nyssa and Aaliyah activated their voice modulators to sound more menacing as unlike Oliver they didn’t have a naturally menacing voice. Nyssa never really used voice modulators because she always showed her face to people she captured and hence she just used her normal voice. She was scary enough without it but today she used it to try and scare Moira Queen. ‘We want answers’ Nyssa said gruffly. Oliver lifted his head at Nyssa’s words and stared directly into his mother’s blue eyes.

Moira’s eyes widened in shock. ‘Oliver’ she gasped.


	22. The Beginning of the End

‘Oliver…Oliver is that you?’ Moira whispered as tears ran down her cheeks. _How is this possible? My beautiful boy is alive_ she thought.

Oliver stared into his mother’s eyes for a moment. He wished this moment could be different. He wished that he could hug her and feel her protective arms around him like when he was a child. A single tear fell from his eye. ‘It’s me, mom’.

 _This can’t be happening_ Moira thought. _He died on the Queens gambit. However, if I’m not hallucinating, then…this is some sick joke to have my son reunited like this._ Tears continued to fall from Moira’s eyes as she sobbed ‘I missed you so much! I love you!’

Nyssa felt really bad for what they were doing to Moira. She never wanted Oliver to reunite with his mother like this. Aaliyah, who was standing next to her, felt Nyssa look at Oliver uncomfortably and she placed her hand on Nyssa’s arm. He squeezed lightly, letting Nyssa know that this is how it has to be and Oliver understands what they were doing. Nyssa gave the younger woman a small smile that was returned.

Nyssa was glad her hood and the darkness covered her eyes from Oliver. She didn’t want him to see tears welling up in her eyes. It pained her to see Oliver hurting like this and for him to cry made her tearful. She blinked back the tears but Oliver somehow sensed her uneasy demeanour. He looked right into her eyes and whilst he didn’t say or give her facial expression that would mean anything, his eyes told a different story. It’s the same look in his eyes he has when he tells her he loves and trusts her. Nyssa nodded at Oliver and started their plan.

Aaliyah walked so that she was stood behind Oliver. She grabbed his hands and tied them behind the chair. She then walked over to Moira and stood beside her. Moira looked up at Aaliyah with hate in her eyes. However, when Aaliyah looked down at her, fear took a hold of her. She couldn’t see all of Aaliyah’s face. Her eyes were covered by darkness and that sent a shiver down Moira’s spine. She noticed her woman’s long black hair flowing down well below the bottom her hood. She was shaken from her thoughts as she heard Oliver groan in pain.

‘Oliver!’ Moira shouted as she saw the woman dressed in red & black hit her son in the face. The woman turned her head towards Moira and she stared at her with disdain.

‘You have seen the scars your son possesses. Tell me what I want to know or he will suffer many more’ Nyssa said commandingly. Moira nodded as she feared for her son. _He must have suffered so much._ New tears fell from Moira’s eyes as she thought about all the scars Oliver had. ‘What is Malcolm Merlyn’s undertaking’ Nyssa hissed.

Moira’s eyes widened at mention of Merlyn and the undertaking. She didn’t know what to say so she sat in silence but this just managed to annoy Nyssa. She signalled for Aaliyah to move behind Moira. Aaliyah withdrew a dagger and placed it by Moira’s neck. She barely touched Moira’s skin but involuntarily twitched.

Oliver stared directly into Aaliyah’s eyes. This was as far as he allowed them to take it and he prayed Aaliyah wouldn’t do anything further. When Moira still refused to speak, Oliver became angry. He didn’t say anything but his moved towards Nyssa and saw she too was furious.

‘ANSWER THE QUESTION’ Nyssa shouted at her. ‘Or do you wish Oliver to suffer even more’.

‘Please…Please don’t harm my boy’. Moira begged.

‘If you answer my question, I will not’ Nyssa promised.

‘I can’t’ she said tearfully. ‘He’ll kill me. He’ll kill my family’.

‘You think my threats are empty’ Nyssa hissed. She spun around and quickly fired an arrow into Oliver’s shoulder. The arrow did indeed hurt but he greatly exaggerated the pain he was suffering. He screamed and more tears fell from Moira’s eyes as she saw her son cry out in pain. ‘You fear Malcolm Merlyn? You’re a fool. You should fear a Demon far more than that worthless bastard. Tell me what the undertaking is or the next arrow goes through your son’s heart’ Nyssa said coldly whilst in truth, she was of course bluffing.

Moira was shaking and Oliver felt really bad that he’s the reason his mother is like this. But that all changed when she revealed what the undertaking was. ‘Malcolm created an organisation called Tempest. My husband got involved and when he died, it left me in a precarious position. I did what I had to do to protect my daughter’ she explained.

‘Get to the point!’ Nyssa growled.

‘He plans to blow up The Glades and everyone in it!’ Moira cried.

‘How?!’ Oliver snarled.

‘Oliver, please’ Moira started.

‘HOW?’ he roared.

‘He has a machine that can simulate an earthquake. He’ll use it to destroy The Glades.  He used Queen Consolidated Applied Sciences division to manufacture it’.

‘When will he use it?’ Aaliyah asked.

‘Tomorrow night’ Moira said grimly.

‘Thank you’ Nyssa said.

‘You’ve sentenced my family to death’ Moira shouted at the two assassins.

‘No, I haven’t’ Nyssa said calmly.

Aaliyah plunged a tranquiliser dart into Moira’s neck. Her last words before she passed out were ‘Oliver’.

* * *

 

‘Take a few others with you Aaliyah and take my mother back to my house’ Oliver said as he escaped from the bounds tying his hands together. He then pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and dropped it to the floor. He looked down at the arrowhead that was covered in blood and felt a pang of guilt that his mother had to witness that. However, he then remembered everything she said and how she is helping Merlyn destroy The Glades which caused his face to harden.

Nyssa lowered her hood and sat down on Oliver’s lap. She opened a small bottle that she picked up from a nearby table. She put some of the liquid on a cut on Oliver’s face before applying it to his shoulder. The wounds immediately fully healed. She placed the bottle of Lazarus pit water on the ground. His eyes moved so they were now looking at her. He leaned his head forward so it rested on her shoulder. ‘I’m so sorry’ Nyssa whispered in his ear. She was sorry for everything Moira has gotten herself into and sorry for hurting Oliver earlier. They stayed that way for a few moments with complete silence in the room. He lifted his head from her shoulder and placed both hands on her waist. He brought her closer to him so that both of their bodies were touching each other.

Nyssa smiled at this action. ‘You never have to apologise to me. I love you’ he whispered to her.

‘Love you too’ Nyssa managed to say before Oliver crashed his lips into hers in a passionate kiss. After a while, they broke apart to catch their breath. They looked at each other and they both had the same look in their eyes; They were hungry for each other. They needed each other right now. She grinded her hips against him causing him to groan. She smirked at this.  He quickly moved to remove her clothes whilst she went to remove the jeans he was wearing. He suddenly remembered what just happened in this very room and therefore he held onto Nyssa’s wrists to stop her.

‘Not here’ he said as he let go of her wrists.

They sat there for a few moments in each other’s embrace. Nyssa moved to get up but just as she was about to, she sat back down on Oliver’s lap. ‘I will have my way with you when we get back, beloved’ she said before kissing him deeply. She got up from him and picked up the bottle. As she walked away, Oliver just smirked before following her.

* * *

 

Nyssa & Oliver, who was now fully dressed in his assassin outfit, returned to the Queen Mansion. Moira was still unconscious whilst Thea & Aaliyah were talking with each other. Once Thea spotted Oliver, she ran up to him. ‘Ollie, what’s going on?’ she asked.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Our parents got themselves involved in something dangerous, Speedy. Mom told me that Malcolm Merlyn plans to blow up the Glades tomorrow night’.

Thea gasped in surprise. Malcolm Merlyn had been like family to the Queens. ‘What…What are you going to do?’ she asked cautiously.

‘Malcolm Merlyn faces the League’s justice’ Nyssa intervened.

‘Thea, I need you to be safe. Please…Please don’t go in the Glades. Promise me, Thea’ Oliver pleaded.

‘I promise’ she said without hesitation.

‘Good. We have to go. When mom wakes up, tell her who I am. Tell her why she can’t search for me. It’s a death sentence if she does. It may be a while until the next time we see each other, Thea. But know that you’ll be able to contact me on that phone I gave you. Love you’ he said as he turned to leave.

Before he could leave, she gave him a hug. ‘I love you too’ she said.

He laughed as he said, ‘you don’t have to hug me every time I leave’.

Thea looked up at him whilst still hugging him. She pouted at him and said ‘Yes I do. I missed out on 6 years of your hugs’.

He nodded and hugged her tighter. After a few moments, they both let go. Oliver, Nyssa & Aaliyah left and headed to Verdant.

* * *

 

When they arrived in the basement of Verdant, only Felicity was there. ‘Where are your friends?’ Nyssa asked.

Felicity looked up from her computer with a frightened expression. She couldn’t believe how quiet these assassins were. He quickly masked her emotions and replied ‘Out saving the city as usual. Did you find out what the undertaking is?’

‘Yes’ Oliver said grimly. ‘Let’s wait until your friends come and I’ll explain’.

‘Yes, but first Felicity, may I have a word in private?’ Nyssa asked. Felicity nodded and stood up from her chair. They walked over to a corner of the foundry. Nyssa was standing quite close to her and Felicity would be lying if she said she wasn’t intimidated by the beautiful assassin. ‘Do you know what happens to those who take things that aren’t there’s in the League of Assassins?’ Felicity shook her head and was confused why Nyssa asked her that question. ‘Death’ she said simply.

‘Why…Why are you telling me this?’ Felicity asked fearfully.

Nyssa grabbed Felicity’s throat and pushed her against the wall. Her eyes were dark and furious. ‘You touched my husband’s bow. I had that bow custom made for him. It means a lot to him and to me’.

‘I’m sorry… I didn’t mean too. I was just curious’ Felicity stammered.

‘Yes, aren’t we all? However, when it comes to my husband I’m fiercely protective’

‘I’ve noticed’ Felicity said nervously as Nyssa still had yet to remove her hand from her throat. ‘I’ve noticed he’s just the same towards you’ she said with a hint of jealousy as she wished she had something like Oliver & Nyssa.

‘He is. And if it were the other way around, he would be having the exact same conversation with you’ Nyssa said. She tightened her grip around Felicity’s throat making it difficult for her to breath. She moved closer to her face and hissed ‘if you ever touch or even look at my beloveds bow like that again, I’ll feed you your eyes’.

Nyssa stayed close to Felicity with her strong grip on her throat. Felicity looked into her eyes and saw the fire in them. After a couple more seconds, Nyssa loosened her grip, shoved Felicity into the wall and walked off.

When Sara, Diggle & Shado returned, Felicity was sitting in her chair massaging her throat. None of them said anything about her strange behaviour as they were preoccupied by Oliver, Nyssa & Aaliyah.

‘Malcolm Merlyn plans on blowing up The Glades’ Oliver said as he paced in front of Sara, Diggle and Shado. Oliver and Nyssa usually didn’t get unnerved yet the threat was very real. They all saw the grave expression on his face and it scared each of them. ‘He plans to blow it up tomorrow night’.

Shado sighed and looked at her former love with a mixture of fear and despair. _A day doesn’t give us enough time to stop him._ ‘How do we stop him?’ she asked.

‘’First of all, we need to find out where his earthquake machine is’ Nyssa stated.

‘ _Earthquake machine_ ’ Diggle said disbelievingly. ‘He’s going to blow up The Glades by making it seem like a natural disaster? This guy is crazy’.

‘Earthquake machines’ Oliver corrected. ‘He wouldn’t be so naïve to just have one. He will have insurance’. Nyssa nodded in agreement but the fact of the matter was they didn’t know where they would be.

‘Felicity, search through data in Meryln Global and find out if the location is in there. I doubt it but there may be a clue’ Shado ordered.

‘Get up the map of The Glades’ Nyssa said and Felicity complied. The map inside of the book Oliver’s father possessed on the screen.

‘One of those machines will be here’ Oliver said before pointing to the exact location.

‘How can you be sure?’ Sara asked.

Oliver gave her a sad smile as he said, ‘Because it’s where his wife was murdered’. Oliver remembered Rebecca Merlyn and she would be disgusted at Malcolm’s plans. She was a kind woman who cared deeply for Oliver and treated him as her own. He was sure that despite everything, Rebecca and Tommy wouldn’t want him to kill Malcolm. But as he thought this, he remembered that he was the Heir to the Demon and he was ruthless.

‘The other one could be anywhere’ Nyssa said. ‘Find it Felicity’.

* * *

 

It was the following evening when Felicity had hacked into Merlyn Global and found out some information about the device. She found out it would have to emit a signal and through that she tracked it. She sent a message to Oliver and Nyssa that she had a location.

Aaliyah, Diggle and a number of League members went to disarm the earthquake device, whilst Oliver, Nyssa, Sara & Shado went to fight Merlyn. In their previous battle, Oliver had struck Merlyn with nanotech which allowed him to track Merlyn. Knowing that it would be vital to find and shut down the devices, Oliver and Nyssa decided to hold off confronting Merlyn until they knew the devices would be shut off.

Felicity’s voice appeared on the comm’s and it was back to her cheerful self. ‘Guy’s, we found both of his devices and I’ve shut them down’.

‘Good job, Felicity’ Sara said happily.

* * *

 

They arrived outside of a building that was quite far from any others. It looked abandoned at first glance but Oliver and Nyssa nocked and fired an arrow each, killing a guard at the top of the building.

 ‘Don’t lower your guard’ Oliver warned Sara and Shado. ‘Now it begins’ he whispered to himself but Nyssa was the only one to hear.

They climbed up to the top of the roof and entered the building from there. They could see a number of mercenaries that Merlyn hired below them as well as Merlyn himself. He had a huge TV set up on a wall and it was showing The Glades. _The sick bastard wants to watch The Glades burn_ Nyssa thought. ‘You two take the right’ Nyssa whispered to Shado and Sara.

Merlyn walked down a hallway and into a room that they couldn’t see. It left a at least two dozen mercenaries for them to fight. There were two levels with most of the mercenaries on the first level. Nyssa looked down to her right and saw that Shado and Sara had already silently taken down two of them.

‘Come, beloved. We cannot let them outdo Demons’ Nyssa said as they silently descended. They silently manoeuvred their way behind two of their enemies. Oliver quickly grabbed the man into a chokehold and when he felt the man’s strength leaving him, he snapped his neck.

Nyssa meanwhile placed her hand over the mercenary’s mouth which caused his eyes to widen. Before he could do anything, Nyssa’s hidden blade had pierced his throat as he choked on his own blood. Nyssa glanced over at her husband and saw that he too had easily taken care of his opponent. However, to both of their frustration, they heard that Sara and Shado were not as quiet as themselves. They had attracted the attention of every mercenary in the building.

‘Fuck sake’ Oliver muttered as both he and Nyssa ran and got cover. They peered over a large table that they had hidden behind and saw that two of the mercenaries had their guns pointed at Sara and Shado. Bullets just missed their heads as they quickly ducked down. Nyssa and Oliver shared a quick glance and words were not needed for what they would do next. They both raised their bows and fired an arrow each without looking. They heard the sound of a man choking on his own blood as their arrows pierced their throats. ‘You deal with all of these up here’ Oliver yelled, hoping that Sara and Shado would be able to take down 4 people.

Nyssa chucked a smoke bomb to the lowest level of the building. Both of them put their bows on their backs as they drew their swords. They jumped down to the lowest level and landed in a crouched position. The married couple could feel the fear in the weak mercenaries that surrounded them. The smoke was thick but due to their advanced training, both Oliver and Nyssa could easily fight through it.

There were around 15 mercenaries between them and Merlyn. Nyssa and Oliver swiftly jumped forward and engaged their first opponent. It wasn’t even a fight because they could see through the smoke. Both of them had slit throats in a matter of seconds.

Gun shots rang throughout the building. Nyssa and Oliver had to be careful not to get hit by a stray bullet. Knowing speed was key, they decided to use all the weapons they had on them. Nyssa threw a knife into the heart of one man whilst Oliver plunged his hidden blade into the head of another. He then quickly withdrew and chucked a dagger into the heart of another mercenary.

They dispatched with every mercenary by the time the smoke cleared. Dozens of bodies laid dead as the smoke cleared. Oliver went to retrieve the dagger that he threw earlier. As he pulled it out, he heard Nyssa yell ‘Beloved!’. Oliver just managed to get out of the way from the arrow meant for his head. It skimmed his cheek, leaving a cut. Blood poured out from it and dripped down to the ground.

‘You missed your golden opportunity, Al-Sa-Her’ Oliver snarled. ‘There’s no way out. Now it ends’.

Merlyn looked up and saw Shado and Sara watching him intently. Oliver and Nyssa were in front of him. He knew that there was no way out so he had decided to take Nyssa’s love with him to the grave but that plan failed too. _At least the Glades will burn._

Before he could think his next thought, Nyssa was upon him punching him across the face. It made him stagger back a few feet and before he could react, he was flat on his back due to a leg sweep by Nyssa. He saw the fire in her eyes for wounding her husband and it caused him to smile wickedly. It only led to enrage Nyssa further as she got her bow and nocked an arrow. She fired it into his stomach which caused Al-Sa-Her to scream in pain.

Nyssa dropped her bow and extended her hidden blade. She leaned over Al-Sa-Her’s body and got close to his face. ‘You dare to harm my husband’ she spat venomously. She cut his cheek far more deeply than Oliver’s was and he screamed again. He had tears in his eyes but Nyssa saw no remorse in them.

‘Now it ends, Al-Sa-Her’ she said as she placed her sword at his throat.

Nyssa was just about to slice his throat when Al-Sa-Her spat out blood. ‘I demand a Trial by Combat’ he coughed.

Nyssa stood up and looked at Oliver with a bewildered expression. He had the same expression on his face. _Can this idiot not accept death?_ Nyssa thought.

Oliver walked up to Nyssa and they stood side by side and looked down on the disgraced former assassin. They both knew that there was nothing they could do now. He had a right for a Trial by Combat but clearly Merlyn had lost all of senses because Ra’s al Ghul will give a death far worse than any Oliver or Nyssa would’ve given him.

Nyssa placed her hand in Oliver’s as she responded to Merlyn’s request. ‘You covert a gruesome death that much, Al-Sa-Her? So be it!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry for taking so long to update but whilst the season is off air, I don't have as much motivation.


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